Kaleidoscope Easter Card

I found a new challenge last week called Mustard Seed Faith Challenges. This week the challenge is to make something for Easter. I appreciated the idea shared that Easter isn't just one day to celebrate in a year but what affects life every week, every day for those who believe in Christ's gift of salvation. For me it's a daily relationship with a living Savior who took my punishment for my sins so that I could receive that gift and have a close personal relationship and share eternal life with the Lord. Sometimes a man may have died for a friend or family, but only one who was the sinless Son of God could take our punishment when He died and better yet, rise again from the dead to show us that life is eternal.

I love this sentiment stamp from Paper Trey Ink using Matthew 28:6 that expresses that He is a living Savior. History records that over 500 people saw Him after He arose from the dead before He ascended to heaven. For me, His Spirit speaks to my heart each day and He's always near to help, comfort and guide me. So I agree with the writer at Mustard Seed Faith that Easter impacts my life every day. I hope you'll visit their blog and check out their beautiful creations.

Thank you for visiting! May you be blessed by the risen Lord!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Come and Get It Challenge - Easter
Craftaholics April Challenge - Easter
Dies R Us Challenge #70 - Easter with die cuts (Cricut and Spellbinders leaves)
Do-All Kreatives #4 - Easter
Just for Fun April Challenge - Spring/Easter
Mustard Seed Faith - Easter
Scrap from Your Heart #8 - Spring colors/Easter
Sweet Stampers Challenge #5 - Easter/Spring

6.5" x 5" Card Recipe:
Papers - Close To My Heart "Kaleidoscope" paper pack, Pixie, Sweet Leaf, White Daisy cs
Stamp - Papertrey Ink Alleluia stamp set
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments - Recollections paper flowers, CTMH Purple Hearts, retired CTMH brads
Tools, Spellbinders Foliage die, Cricut Lacy Labels Cartridge on Design Space

Beloved Bouquet Birthday Card

Have you ever met someone new and discovered that you had a lot in common?  When I first met Pat I found out that she goes to the church where my husband had been the pastor almost 40 years ago. Then I found out she knew some of our friends who live in Colorado. Finally, I discovered she was the nurse when my grandson was born at KU Med Center eight years ago. There were other "coincidences" but the important thing I appreciate about getting to know her is that we share a love for Christ, for family, and for crafting. Here's the birthday card I've made for her.

I thought I'd try another card stamped with the January Stamp of the Month, Beloved Bouquet, using some bright, sunny colors.

I used the Floral Embossing folder to make the background.  I stamped the rose with Sunset Ink on an old scrap of Creme Brulee. (I was sad to see that color retire.) I used pieces of the Kaleidoscope paper pack for stamping the leaves and cutting the tag.  I stamped the sentiment with Sunset using a stamp  from Balloon Wishes.  A strip of Pink glitter paper and some pink glitter gems (on clearance!) added the bling I wanted to keep the card bright and cheery. I found some amazing deals on clearance today that you may want to check out HERE.

 I cut the Creme Brulee heart border with a Martha Stewart punch. I used a circle punch to shape the tag edges. The green ribbon, button and twine are all old, retired CTMH products that I still love to use.

I hope you'll come back tomorrow to check out our team's blog hop. I have several projects for Easter using the soft and subtle colors of the Charlotte paper pack. You can find it HERE.

Thank you for visiting! I hope God helps you discover new friendships that will be a blessing to you both!

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

All Sorts Week 348 - Bring on the Bling
Aud Sentiments Challenge #147 - anything goes
Crafting with Friends #13 -  anything goes
Jade's Sparkling Butterflies #11 - anything goes/ add a tag

Simply Papercrafts #22 - anything goes

Bling Sparkle Shine Birthday Card

I'm making cards using a CTMH Kaleidoscope paper pack and when I opened a pack of Complements that go with the paper I saw that there were some jewel shapes in the stickers, chipboard pieces, and transparent stickers. I'm not really into jewel shapes for cards, but they seem to be popular. They made me think about a verse I memorized as a teenager: Proverbs 31:10, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

It was the first verse in an amazing list of attributes of the ideal godly woman I always strive to become.  You can read them here. A few qualities, like rising while it is still night to prepare food for her household, isn't as easy as having my candle not going out by night. If you read the list, the qualities definitely made this ideal woman an ambitious, successful crafter, listing all the things she made! As for me, despite having 50 years to practice, I know I'll always need His help living these qualities in such a way to honor Him.


My daughter suggested to me that jewels would be perfect for little girls' birthdays, so here's the birthday card I made for "her little jewel" who will turn eight next week.

I used this sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches #333:

 

I changed the angle of the lighting so you could see a little more of the sparkle.

 

 I traced the lines on the gem stickers and the white vertical lines on the top and bottom (which aren't showing) with a Sakura Gelly Roll clear glitter pen.  I also added little lines on the yellow circle. Both of the pink Cricut cuts were made out of CTMH Fundamentals cardstock using the glossy pattern side that slightly show here with tiny circles. The large gem, words, and circles were cut using Cricut Artistry.

I used a verse from Word Art Wednesday (from May 8, 2013) on the inside ("Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16) along with a birthday verse I made that includes "leave a little sparkle where ever you go." I adorned them with tiny strips of glitter cardstock and three of the jewel transparency stickers from the Complements.

Thank you for visiting and letting me share. May you seek to be a Proverbs 31 woman and may God bless your crafting as He did hers.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Dragonfly Journeys #38 - Birthday
Fantabulous Cricut #267 - Something new (birthday, paper and embellishments)
Glitter n Sparkle Challenge #169 - anything goes
Ooh-la-la Creations Challenge #195 - Girlie
 Quirky Crafts Challenge #1 - Let's Quirky Celebrate
The Crafty Addicts #6 - Celebrations
The Crazy Challenge #213 - Celebrations
Tuesday Morning Sketches #333 
 Word Art Wednesday #217 - anything uplifting

Candlelight Garden Stamp of the Month Cards

We're having unseasonably warm weather for December. Temperatures in the 50's seem like fall or spring. I took an evening off from making Christmas cards to play with some lovely pastel paper that reminds me of spring. This month the stamp of the month is a lovely combination of flowers, jar, and candle with sentiments perfect for thank you or friendship cards. I used it to make this week's Mojo Monday Tall & Skinny Sketch #426:

 

I stamped the jar and flowers for this one on watercolor paper and painted the flowers with watercolors. 

I'm sharing this first card with the following challenges:

Come and Get It - Anything goes with a sentiment

Crafting by Designs - anything goes 

Crafty Gals Corner #48 - anything goes

Dragonfly Journeys #33- Thank you

D.L.Art December Challenge - anything goes

Mojo Monday Sketch #426

Moving Along with the Times #9 - give thanks

Here are two more cards I made with this stamp set and paper pack.

I colored the flowers of the second card using ShinHan alcohol markers. I curved the stamp to curve around the larger sentiment and cut it so the flowers went off the panel. 

I wanted the third card to be light and airy to go with the candlelight idea so I chose the striped paper. It was also colored with alcohol ink markers and lightened with the colorless blender. 

Here's the inside:

Here are the images in this stamp set. It is only available in December and can be purchased at full price or for $5.00 with a $50 purchase. The links to see these items are below.  If you'd like to see more cards using these stamps you'll find a blog hop here.

Card Ingredients:

Paper - CTMH Kaleidoscope, Creme Brulee Cardstock, Watercolor Cardstock

Stamp - CTMH Candlelight Garden

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Markers - ShinHan Touch Twin Golden Yellow, Marigold, Tender Pink, Cherry Pink, Pastel Green, Cerulean Blue, Colorless marker

Tools and Accessories- Watercolor Paints, Brushes, white Shimmer Trim,  Glacier and Pink Thick Twine, Purple Enamel and Glitter Hearts, Cricut Art Philosophy