PSC47 Anything Goes with Bugaboo Stamps

This week at The Perfect Sentiments we're using Bugaboo Stamps for a great Anything Goes With a Sentiment (on front), Challenge #47.  I had a lot of fun using their Thoughts and Prayers Block. There seems to be an endless number of people who are in my thoughts and prayers each day. When I retired I decided that I would be instant in prayer as soon as God brings someone to mind, otherwise, at retirement age I tend to forget! I probably need to pray about that, too!

I loved the design of the flowers in this digital stamp. I used the colors from the CR84FN challenge this week and the sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges. I printed the digital stamp two times and colored both. Then I cut the large flowers out and adhered them in the center with pop dots, but curled the loose edges slightly for a little dimension. For more dimension, I embossed the background, pleated the ribbon and added a pin and bling button.

 

 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

 CR84FN Color Challenge #61 - Aqua, Tan, Cream

Crazy 4 Challenges #151 - sketch

Craft Your Passion #125 - Embossing

Shopping Our Stash Weekly #66 - Use your favorite thing - mine is embossing

 

I hope you'll  join our Perfect Sentiments Challenge Anything Goes with a Sentiment - CREATE ANY TYPE OF PAPER-CRAFTED ITEM YOU LIKE, FOR ANY OCCASION YOU LIKE.  Bugaboo Stamps is offering a great prize: 7 FREE IMAGES OR $21 VALUE.

 

PSC43 - Girlfriends

This is my first week as a The Perfect Sentiments design team member. I'm already noticing what great friends they are together. God has blessed me with many wonderful friends throughout life, so the theme this week is one dear to my heart - Girlfriends: Create a card with a sentiment for friendship. The twist is to use girly embellishments like pearls, lace, bling, flowers, etc. Our sponsor this week is Meljen's Designs. They will be giving a prize of 4 free digis to our lucky winner!

Here's my card celebrating the wonderful friends that I have.

Please visit the other team members at The Perfect Sentiment and join our challenge this week as we celebrate friendship!

Sentiment Technique:

I couldn't find just the right sentiment to go with my image so I combined two different sentiment stamps from Close To My Heart by masking out the unwanted words using scotch tape when I inked the stamp, pulling it off, then stamping. The unwanted words are clean and uninked!

For more dimension, I cut the petals of the sunflower apart and bent them different ways. I also stamped, colored, cut, and pop dotted a second brown center  for the flower.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

One Stop Craft Challenge #193 - Just Good Friends 

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #62 - What Was I Thinking (when I bought hundreds of sheets of discounted gingham dp in every color back in 2006???)

Simon Says Stamp and Show - What Do You Say? (creative sentiments)

Try It On Tuesday - Anything Goes for July

6.5" x 5" Friendship Card Recipe:

Papers - Prima "Botanical;" CTMH Black, White Daisy Cardstock and very old Shell Pink Gingham

Images - Clearly Vintage Ladies and Sunflowers, CTMH Friendship Bouquet sunflower

Sentiment Stamps - Close To My Heart "Endless Friendship," "Friendship Bouquet"(quote

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black

Markers - Copic

Accents - CTMH Licorice Opaques, retired pink organdy and crocheted lace

Clearly Inspired Challenge #55 - Some Like It Hot!

The temperatures outside today will be 104 degrees, so this new challenge is very appropriate. The local news keeps mentioning people in our area have died from the heat, which prompts me to pray for my daughter's husband and so many others who work outside with no shade for relief. 

Personally, I can't take the heat. However, I'm babysitting four grandchildren a couple of days each week and need to take them outside or on little "field trips" so that the three boys can burn up some of that aggressive energy. I've been praying for God's grace to help me adjust and I've considered these 102 degree days "training" for the trip we're about to take to Texas, where I know the heat will be even worse. 

It's amazing that Psalm 54:11 talks about God being our sun and shield, giving us grace and glory. The analogy makes me think of Him as one who warms our spirit, gives light to our paths and yet shields us from the negative things in life -  or perhaps even the extreme heat!

I used a rainbow of hot colors and a sun from the Clear Dollar Stamps digital image "Light of His Love" to illustrate this challenge.

I used this week's sketch from Mojo Monday Challenge #248 for this card.  I punched a 1.5" circle from the same orange designer paper, placed it over the sun image because the pattern in the paper reminded me of close up photos of the sun.  Then I dotted around it with red stickles for emphasis and contrast.

Whether you like the heat or not, may God bless you as you experience the warmth of His love and see His light working in your life today.

Additional Challenges for this card:
Catered Crop - rainbows or colors of the rainbow
Oozak Challenge #4 - bright colors
Mojo Monday 248 - sketch
Shopping Our Stash #58 - at least three from list. I used: ribbon, flowers, punch, die cut, rhinestones

5" x 6.5" Encouragement Card Recipe:
Images - Clear Dollar Stamps digis "Light of His Love"
Paper - Basic Grey "Life of the Party;" Close To My Heart Sunny Yellow, Dutch Blue, Cranberry, White Daisy cardstock
Copic Markers - Y13 Lemon Yellow, YR68 Orange, B24 Sky
Accents and tools - Prima flowers, red stickles, Making Memories Navy Blue ribbon, Close To My Heart Bitty Sparkles, Spellbinders Wizard Scalloped Ovals Nestabilities, Martha Stewart border punch, 1.5" circle punch, printer

MOJO Monday 245 Birthday Card with Flowers and Ribbon

Life has been so busy the past week that it was good to spend time in my craft room to create again. I made this card for my sister's birthday. Four of my siblings inherited a muscular dystrophy called Charcot Marie Tooth Disease. I am the oldest and feel quite fortunate that I was spared that malady that has put all but my brother in a wheel chair. One of those younger sisters died in her early 30's. I have my own muscle disease that is disabling at times, but seeing their problems helps me minimize my own. It's also a reminder that this body is temporary, but our soul will live on.

This birthday card is for Susan whose faith has remained strong. She has shown courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable problems at times. Her feet now look like skin wrapped around a pile of unconnected bones. The best foot surgeons in Kansas City say there's nothing they can do. And yet she stays vigilant in her wheelchair, always working to keep up her health after many surgeries on many parts of the body. I pray that God will give her strength and that she'll experience His mercy, grace and love for each new challenge. I chose this stamp set from Our Daily Bread Designs for the verse I put inside: 

Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even your soul is getting along well. 3 John 1:2

Here's the sketch from MOJO Monday that I used today.

I chose the color palette from Come and Get It Challenge for June: Colors of Spring:

Lexi's Creations challenged me to make a birthday card. Really Reasonable Ribbon inspired me to use the flowers stamp I hadn't tried yet, and of course, to embellish with ribbon.  Shopping Our Stash Weekly gave me the idea to use two different ribbons. That was perfect for the ribbon banners on the left side, but I also decided to try using those two ribbons to make my bow embellishment. I tied a piece of crochet thread around the middle of the larger grosgrain ribbon behind the satin bow to give it the dimensional appearance I wanted.

Thank you for looking, and may God bless you and encourage your heart today so you can in turn encourage others.

Challenges for this card:

Come and Get It - Colors of Spring

Lexi's Cerations Challenge #67 - Happy Birthday

MOJO Monday sketch #245

Really Reasonable Ribbons Challenge #49 - Flowers and Ribbon

Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #55 - Double the Ribbon

5" x 6.5" Birthday Card Recipe:
Paper - All from scraps! Basic Grey pink scrap, Close To My Heart "Lucy" floral scrap, Colonial White, Creme Brulee, Lilac Mist, Spring Iris cardstock scraps
Stamps - Our Daily Bread Designs "Birthday Blessings"
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, CTMH Creme Brulee
Accents and Tools - CTMH Creme Brulee Ribbon Collection; Copic Markers; 3" and 1.5" circle punches and corner rounder; Spellbinders Nestabilities " Lacey Circles" and "Heart Circles;"  Cuttlebug "Scalloped Edge" embossing folder

Father's Day Smooth Sailing Card

I'm looking forward to taking my daughter, son-in-law, his mother, and four grandkids to the ocean for our vacation this summer. Living in the center of the U.S., my grandkids have never seen the ocean. With that in mind, I made this Father's Day card for their dad, my son-in-law.

The image and the designer paper are both from Clear Dollar Stamps in their set called Smooth Sailing.

I tried a new way of using my favorite embellishment - embossing folders. I folded the kraft cardstock so I could fit the top part in one embossing folder and the second time the bottom was embossed with a different folder. By covering the fold with a ribbon, you can use different folders creatively. I wanted swirls on the bottom like ocean waves. I also added a textured banner to hold my handwritten sentiment. When I colored the sky and water with my Copic markers, I used two shades of blue on the top and two shades of bluegreen on the bottom. Then I removed color with the Colorless blender to resemble clouds and white caps on the waves.

Challenges for this card:
Here Come the Boys - Challenge #28, Anything Goes
Lexi's Creations - Challenge #66 For the Man/Boy in our Lives
Love to Create - Challenge #18, Father's Day or Special Guy in your life
Shopping Our Stash Weekly - Challenge #54, Father's Day or Masculine
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Sugar Creek Hollow - Challenge #14 Father's Day

6.5" x 5" Father's Day Card Recipe:
Paper - Clear Dollar Stamps "Smooth Sailing;" Close To My Heart "Victory" (chocolate swirl), Chocolate, Kraft, White Daisy cardstock
Image - Clear Dollar Stamps "Smooth Sailing"
Accents - CTMH "Milepost Shapes" (banner), Baker's Twine Paradise Assortment; Cuttlebug Musical Flourish (bottom) and Scrollwork (top) embossing folders; white twill old and unknown;Copic Markers- B00, B02, BG10, BG13, N0, N2, N4, E33, E35, E15, E18, 0 Colorless Blender

Hope Blooms

When I was a teenager, I spent three years working as a Candy Striper at Baptist Memorial Hospital. My first two years, one of my jobs was to deliver flowers to patients. People were always so pleased to receive a vase of flowers. It was obvious that flowers were given to cheer up those who were recuperating. There's something bright and happy about looking at flowers.

My husband and I spent Mother's Day with a group of family at a Botanical Garden. The flowers and trees were amazing and inspired this shaped card along with these lovely challenges: The Shabby Tea Room Week #114 inspiration photo and request to make Shaped Cards. Dutch Dare Card Challenge #165 is also for shaped cards. I used the Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #52 Bingo, the column under "G" - patterned paper, blue, sentiment, ribbon, and tag. (They are celebrating their birthday so you can enter as many times as you like!)

This is a really fun shape to make. I traced a template making sure that the front of the card is higher, revealing the inside of the card where a strip of patterned paper will show. The top was embossed after using a brayer with ink on the raised leaf portion, so that the colored debossed side shows on the front. My intent was to decorate the leaves as if they were a bouquet of flowers tied with a ribbon and tag like the ones I used to deliver.

I'm hoping that this card with it's flowers and verse will bring loving cheer to someone who needs to encouragment that God is with them in their time of need and will help them.

Challenges:
Basic Grey Challenge #58 - Anything Goes with Baisc Grey paper (I used Sweet Threads)
Dutch Dare Card Challenge#165 - shaped cards
Shopping Our Stash Weekly #52 - Bingo
The Shabby Tea Room #114 - Inspiration photo and shaped card

4.25: x 5.5" Encouragement Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey "Sweet Threads;" Close To My Heart White Daisy, Hollyhock cardstock
Stamp - Verve "Hope Blooms"
Inks - CTMH Sweet Leaf, Hollyhock
Accents/Tools - Cuttlebug embossing folder; brayer; CTMH Pearl Opaques; Michaels silver cord, Recollections floral embellishments; white satin ribbon

1 Corinthians 13 Anniversary Card

When my husband and I were married the minister used 1 Corinthians 13 as his text. I had memorized it when I was about 13 years old and always loved the guidance that it gives. Even though I'm a grandma now, I still need the truths in this chapter to keep me on course. I hope it will inspire someone as an anniversary Scripture. This card is for the challenge at Fashionista Challenge Week 3 is for a wedding, wedding shower or anniversary card.

I was inspired by the color combo at Just Add Ink. Their sample cards were so CAS, Clean and Simple, that I wanted to do the same. Today's challenge at Shopping Our Stash Weekly had an amazing BINGO chart with so many options. I chose to use the top row across to make my card. Here are the inspiration charts from both of those challenges

.
The pale yellow colors that I have are Buttercup and Creme Brulee. I rolled Buttercup ink on my embossing folder on the side that has the writing on the front. I lined up the front of the card on the other half, closed the folder carefully and embossed. Ink doesn't always stick perfectly to the folders, but I always think that adds to the character of the design. This embossing folder has been in my stash the longest - since it first came out.

I stamped a 3/4" strip of buttercup with a lace pattern. The verse is mounted on buttercup and a creme brulee patterned paper. The 4 year-old Buttercup buttons,  are topped with flower-shaped bling that I've had for several years. (The bitty sparkles are much newer.) I love combining old supplies from my stash with the new. This digital verse is the newest. It just came out today. I'm linking it with Little Birdie Blessings Scripture Thursday Linking Party.

I hope this verse blesses you as it does me.

Challenges:
Fashionista Challenge Week #3 - Wedding, Anniversary, Wedding Shower
Just Add Ink Challenge #117 - color challenge
Shopping Our Stash Weekly #52 - Bingo: yellow, bling, buttons, patterned paper, embossing

6.5" x 5" Anniversary Card Recipe:
Paper - Close To My Heart "Florentine" patterned paper, Buttercup, Colonial White cardstock
Digital Image - Clear Dollar Stamps "Value Verses"
Stamps - CTMH Florentine Workshop (lace border stamp)
Ink - CTMH Buttercup
Accessories - Cuttlebug Heart blocks embossing folder, CTMH buttons, sparkle flowers (both retired)
Bitty Sparkles

Belated Birthday Card

I realized the other day that I missed a friend's birthday. That made me realize two things - I need to update my birthday calendar and check it! Also, I need to keep a supply of belated birthday cards on hand. I got the idea for this card when I was looking through the digital stamps that were released in April at Clear Dollar Stamps.  I was initially drawn to their store because of the Bible verses and Christian stamps. I also like their fresh designs that look like they'd be great to send to children.

I chose to use two stamps from their set Bless My Bloomers.  I thought that Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch #158 this week at The Sweetest Thing was great for this image. I also immediately matched it up with the color palette at ColourQ Challenge #136.

As soon as I colored my image, I thought it would great on Kraft Cardstock and it was definitely feminine, so I'm linking it up with The Kraft Journal Make It Monday Challenge to make a card For Her.

I colored the image with Copic markers but added shadows or traced lines in the flowers with Watercolor Pencils and CTMHmarkers. I used three different patterned papers and a darker green cardstock to mat two of them. Using three or more designer papers was the challenge this week at Shopping Our Stash Weekly. These papers were all from more than 2 years ago. ( I love using up "old" papers!) The dotted Sunset background paper was used to make a matching button. I just took a clear button and glued it to the paper with Liquid Glass. It only took a couple of minutes to dry sufficiently so I could punch out the two holes and tie with baker's twine that matched the Kraft cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by and may God bless you tomorrow on Mother's Day.

Challenges:
ColourQ Challenge #136
Shopping Our Stash Weekly Challenge #51- Use three or more designer papers
Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #158
The Kraft Journal Make It Monday Challenge - Cards for Her

5.5" x 4.25" Belated Birthday Card Recipe:
Images- Clear Dollar Stamps " Bless My Bloomers"
Papers - Close To My Heart "Emporium" (2009-light green floral), "Grace" (2009-sunflower design), "Hooligans" (2010-sunset dotted), New England Ivy, White Daisy cs &  textured cs, Kraft cardstock
Markers - Copics Orange YR68 with Blush R20; Pea Green YG63, Neutral Gray N0, Lemon Yellow Y13 with CTMH Sunflower highlights, CTMH Olive watercolor pencil for shading
Accents/Tools - CTMH button and Basic baker's twine; Spellbinder's Nestabilities "Lacey Circles;" 3" circle punch,flower unknown

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"

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.

Pink, Orange, and Yellow Birthday Wishes

CR84FN had such a fun color combination the last two weeks. I saw one of my scraps from Basic Grey's "June Bug" and that inspired my card.

The Pals Paper Arts Sketch #131 provided the rest of my inspiration for this card.

This sketch allowed the fun flowers on the patterned paper to show, so that helped me in selecting an image to use, an old stamp set that I purchased years ago and never used on a card. I had only used it on one scrapbook layout.  The orange strip from June Bug was embossed in the Swiss Dots folder, then lightly sanded to make the dots look white like the ones on the yellow background. I stamped the large flowers on the same Basic Grey papers. Then I stamped the center portions on white and used the Swiss Dots embossing folder to add more interest and dimension. When I attached the flowers I wanted them to be placed slightly off of the white embossed mat.

 I really want to find ways to use up supplies I purchased a long time ago. This is the emphasis at Shopping Our Stash Weekly. Their challenge this week is to use buttons and/or bows. I selected buttons from a bag I've had for several years (waiting to match the right colors) and tied bows behind or in front of each one using white jute. I attached them to the flowers with that great red sticky tape that will hold anything. This added lots of extra dimension to the pop dotted flowers, so I'll definitely be handing this card to a friend rather than mailing it.

5" x 6.5" Birthday Card recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey "June Bug" collection; CTMH White Daisy and Hollyhock cardstock
Stamps - CTMH Floral Charms, Just a Number
Ink - CTMH Hollyhock, Blush, Sunny Yellow
Other - CTMH Winter Craft Buttons, White Jute, Sanding Kit; Cuttlebug embossing folders Swiss Dots and Bloom Dots

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #42 - Hey, Baby!

It seems our children and their friends are now beyond the "having babies" stage. Except for one of my daughter's friends who just got married later in life. She quit her job and is staying home, hoping to get pregnant soon. I made this card for her. She spent a lot of time adoring the first set of twins my daughter had and I know she'll make a great mom! I made this one Clean and Simple, perfect for a baby card - at the suggestion of CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #42.

I used the challenge from Shopping Our Stash Weekly in more ways than one. Except for the card, all of my papers were scraps, the giraffe paper- quite old. Their challenge was to emboss, which I did to the entire front of the card with the larger Cuttlebug embossing folder for dots. The two blue pieces were Spellbinder's Nestabilities Label Nine. I cut the giraffe out using my Cricut and a scrap of orange polka dotted paper, source unknown. I punched a 5/8" circle from the same paper, but stamped a "B" using the CTMH Hodgepodge Alphabet on the reverse side that had a flower in that circle and matted it with a 3/4" circle, then tied around the neck with some CTMH baker's twine. The "lace" is cut out of a piece of DCWV The Sweet Stack using a Martha Stewart Punch.