Twist of Faith #28 - Irish Blessings

This week at Twist of Faith, the theme is very appropriate for March:

 

  IRISH BLESSINGS

Be Green, Be Irish, Be Blessed. Creations should combine Irish with a Blessing (sentiment/quote/verse)

Our sponsor is Digi Darla's who will provide one lucky winner 5 images of their choice.

Sponsor Blog: http://digidarla.com/

Sponsor Shop: http://www.digidarladesigns.com/

 

I used the Digi Darla image called Annie Angel 3 for my card because of the sunshine and the sentiment I planned to use. In fact, if you'd like to use this sentiment, I have it here as a jpg that you can save and use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

Broken Box Stock #21 - St. Patrick's Day

Digi Haven - Green

Gingerloft - the color green

Glitter and Sparkle #23 - St. Pat's Day/green 

Great Impressions - Going Green

Simply Create Too #32 - St. Patrick's Day/ mostly green

The Pink Elephant Monday Card Challenge #190 - Happy St. Patrick's Day/green

 

5.5" x 4.25" St. Patrick's Day Card Recipe:

Paper - Close To My Heart "Olivia", Colonial White, New England Ivy, and Goldrush cardstock; Basic Grey "Lemonade" (yellow)

Digi Stamp - Digi Darla's Annie Angel 3

Markers - Copic E00, E11, Y11, Y13, Y17, G20, YG03; CTMH alcohol markers: Autumn Terracotta and Autumn Terracotta Light, Sweet Leaf, Olive Light, Metallic Gold

Accents - gold sparkles from stash

Tools - Spellbinder's decorative label die; printer; Microsoft Word and Photoshop

 

 

Mojo Monday 283 Sympathy

One of my husband's uncles died and the funeral will be this week. Here's my first card for an aunt and uncle. I thought the Mojo Monday sketch was perfect, although I'm really late getting a chance to make this for the challenge #283.

The papers and stamp are from Close To My Heart. I embossed it with Cuttlebug's Kassie's Brocade.

ODBD Shining the Light Challenge #145 Sketch

The latest challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs was to use this sketch for a card:

 

This sketch gave me a chance to use one of their stamps I hadn't used yet, Sweet William - Small. The first year I was married I planted some Sweet Williams in my garden because that's my husband's name. They self-seeded and came up volunteer for several years. I needed a birthday card this week, so I used the sentiment from their set called Birthday Blessings.

 

I also tried to come close to the colors suggested this week by The Paper Players:

 

 

 

 

I stamped the flower image with Hollyhock ink, then I colored it with all of the Copic markers listed below. The last detail I added after cutting it out was to shade with the N6 dark gray marker along the edge and add a few broken lines for the petal borders and the center. Last, I added some pearl opaques in the center. The green scalloped circle was cut with a Spellbinder's Nestabilities Scalloped circle die and inked along the edges with CTMH Sweet Leaf chalk ink. The long banner shape was from Basic Grey's Sweet Threads, I believe.

 

 

 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:



CAS on Sunday #3-  Happy Birthday
Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #145 - sketch
Robyn's Fetish #150 - Birthday Cards 
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #206 - To Die for plus stamping
The Paper Players #136 - color challenge

6.5" x 5" Birthday Card Recipe:
Paper - Basic Grey "Sweet Threads;" CTMH cardstock
Stamps - ODBD "Sweet William," "Birthday Blessings"
Ink - CTMH Hollyhock and Black; Sweet Leaf chalk ink
Alcohol Ink Markers - Copics R20 Blush, R35 Coral, N6gray; CTMH Cotton Candy Light
Accents - retired CTMH Baby Pink gingham ribbon, licorice opaques
Tools - Cuttlebug 5" x 7" embossing folder
 

Perfect Sentiments Challenge #69 - Going Green

Finally it's March! Spring is nearly here along with many of us claiming Irish roots. Our challenge this week at The Perfect Sentiments Challenge is a color challenge perfect for spring or the Irish:

Going Green with a touch of Gray

CREATE A CARD WITH A SENTIMENT FOR THE OCCASION OF YOUR CHOICE USING THE COLOR STORY IN THE PHOTO ALBUM FOR THIS CHALLENGE.

Our sponsor is Robyn's Fetish who is providing 5 digis for one lucky winner!

I used their digi called "Lucky Leprechaun."

I typed the sentiment on the card front after seeing some great Irish Blessings on the net. Here's a link for some Irish Blessings - http://tacomaweekly.tripod.com/Irish-Quotations.html

I embossed the darker green with some four-petaled flowers reminiscent of shamrocks. I stamped small shamrocks on the sentiment banner and larger ones on the light green patterned cardstock that I placed with the flowers. The green flowers had sparkly brown centers that I covered with green sparkles. The white flower is from a large consultant set that I've had since 2009. I surrounded the green brad with darker green bitty sparkles. The photo doesn't show that I also colored the coins in the gray pot with a metallic gold marker.



Inside the card I included an Irish blessing that's a Tuesday freebie at Michelle Perkett Studio.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Celebrate the Occasion #102 - Luck of the Irish - St. Patrick's Day projects
Clear It Out - St. Patrick's Day theme and use up green supplies from stash (green checked ribbon from 2005 and green brads from 2009)
Great Impressions - the color green
Hiding in My Craft Room #87 - Greens
Oldie But Goodie - Feeling Floral - white flower and green brad from 2009
Scrappy Frogs - Green/St. Patrick's Day
Sweet Stamps #107 - Green
Twisted Tuesday #45 - Spring plus Green

6.5" x 5" St. Patrick's Day Card Recipe:
Paper - Graphic 45 "Tropical Travelogue;" Close To My Heart Topiary, Slate, and White Daisy cardstock
Image - Robyn's Fetish "Lucky Leprechaun"
Stamps and Ink - CTMH In the Month of March and Topiary Ink
Alcohol Ink Markers - CTMH (mixed Buttercup and Sweet Leaf for the light green), Topiary, Copics- E00, N0, N2, N4
Accents - CTMH green sparkles, gold metallic pen and Just Blooms (white colored Big Pinks retired); gingham ribbon from old stash, Martha Stewart flowers (green)
Tools - Spellbinder's Nestabilities "Lattice Rectangles," and "Scalloped Rectangles;"fiskars embossing plate,





 

Twist of Faith #27 - Ribbons and Bows

Our challenge this week at Twist of Faith is to make a card with:

Ribbons and Bows and a scripture, or uplifting verse or positive words of healing, encouragement, or support.

Our sponsor is Eureka Stamps. Check our Twist of Faith blog for more prize details.

I chose a verse about enjoying the wondrous works of God and an image of "butterfly and bluebonnets" from Eureka Stamps because I love both.  The verse from Job 37:14 comes from Clear Dollar Stamps' set called "Sunshine and Smiles:"

Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Job 37:14

 

 

I used this sketch from Scrapper's Delights Sketch Challenge:

My first focus in choosing paper and ribbons was to use the color BLUE. I added the  Salmon color for contrast and to go with the butterfly. I colored the image with Close To My Heart alcohol ink markers and Copics that I've listed below.

  

I tried three different things with ribbons on this card. First, I substituted 3 strips of ribbon for the three strips of paper in the design. I had wanted to use that wide organdy with satin strips in it for a long time, but could never decide how to use such a wide ribbon to its advantage. Because it was light blue, I chose a light blue thinner organdy to tie with two bows around the digi image. Third, I tied thin satin ribbons through big button holes where the sketch had a place for embellishments, using buttons that coordinated with colors in the wide ribbon or image.

Before starting this card I had seen the challenge to frame something on your card suggested by Catered Crop. I tried something else different. I wanted to use my decorative square Spellbinder's Nestabilities die. I traced around the outside of the die and cut out the shape knowing that it would be just a little bigger than the diecut, thus framing the main image. I've been so spoiled by Cricut carts and Nesties that I forgot I could use scissors to cut a mat that I've traced. Duh!

Please visit the rest of our team at Twist of Faith to see what they've done with ribbon and encouraging verses.  As springtime in the northern hemisphere or autumn in the southern arrives, I hope you'll be in awe of the marvelous beauty of God's creations around you.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge #69 - Button It
Catered Crop - Frame It (with a frame or mat)
Ladybug Crafts March Challenge - the color BLUE
Natalie and Amy's Challenge #7 - die cuts
Scrapper's Delights Challenge - sketch
The Ribbon Girl March Challenge - add ribbon or twine

Markers used: Close To My Heart: Sky, Sky Light, Outdoor Denim Light, Olive; Copics: B24 Sky, YG63 Pea Green, YR68 Orange

...the strength of my heart...

I wanted to use this week's Word Art Wednesday verse for the past several days. This has become my newest favorite verse. My health is poor but I usually tell people my heart is strong in what counts. I know that I won't live forever and the body eventually fails us all, so this verse is truly a positive outlook when we know that God is our strength and we'll be with Him forever.

This afternoon I was finally inspired to create this card with the help of this Tic Tac Toe challenge at Die Cuttin' Divas.

I chose to illustrate the diagonal for flowers, three patterned papers, and distressed plus a die cut element:

 

I chose warm colors to match the bright sunshine outside today (even though my world is white, still covered with snow - wishful thinking!). I don't usually mix that many colors at once, but I think mood rather than logic led the color choices this time. The verse itself was printed on white cardstock and stippled with Buttercup and Smoothie inks, then the edges were distressed and sponged with Vineyard Berry.   It was matted on Kraft cardstock and then again on a Spellbinder's Nestabilities Floral Ovals die. My latest creative endeavor is matting sentiments that don't fit any of my die cuts on one that partially shows, at least on two sides. Who says everything needs to be the "right" size?

 

The papers were scraps of Basic Grey and My Mind's Eye and an unknown/forgotten stripe. Some of the edges were distressed by scraping a fingernail along the edges, slightly turning the edge upward. Others were distressed by sponging with Cocoa ink. The stacked flowers are all from Prima and have heart buttons tied with Sunflower wasy flax, inspired by the challenge at A Gem of a Challenge.

 

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:

A Gem of a Challenge #69 - Button It (two heart buttons on flowers)

Cards by Lady Anne / Sentimental for Friday #7 - anything goes

Die Cuttin' Divas #104 - Tic Tac Toe above - flowers, 3 dp, & distressed + die cut

Word Art Wednesday #69 - anything goes with Scripture or encouraging sentiment

 

 

Thank you for visiting. May God strengthen your heart in the things that count!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gingham Bunny Card

We still have about 18 inches of snow with three to four foot drifts. My hubby spotted a rabbit in our bird bath that's almost three feet high. He had been putting birdseed there for birds, of course. But I guess we have really hungry rabbits, too. We are all hoping for warmer weather and the greening of spring. I, for one, can't wait to see spring colors again when my flowers and fruit trees bloom.

Lisa Lara enticed me with the cute gingham images in her set called "Some Bunny" that were introduced at Clear Dollar Stamps in February. I just had to try one out using all gingham paper and Kraft cardstock. There's something about gingham that says "country" and "spring" to me. I chose the Color Throwdown palette and the sketch this week from Sweet Sketch Wednesday:

 

 

Let me make it clear that I did not color the rabbit or use paper piecing. He's one of the pre-colored images in the set (great for a busy day). I wasn't sure how it would work to mix a large gingham pattern base with the smaller gingham panels, but I wanted to try it for once. I had brads in the matching colors so I used all three to be reminiscent of Easter eggs. Before printing my image, I did alter it slightly in Photoshop using Image/Adjustments/Color Hue. I changed the orange carrots by adjusting yellow to a darker shade to match the Kraft cs and the green and pink(red) were adjusted to match hollyhock and olive.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Aud Sentiments - Easter
Color Throwdown #231 - I used Kraft, Hollyhock, Buttercup, and Olive
Sweet Sketch Wednesday #195 - sketch
Cute Card Thursday #258 - something old (all three of my gingham papers were made before 2005) and spool of Buttercup organdy about 7 years old.
Ruby's Rainbow - In the Garden (rabbits are in mine!)

6" x 6" Easter Card Recipe:
Image and Sentiment - CDS digi "Some Bunny"
Paper - Close To My Heart retired gingham papers from Olive, Buttercup, and ?Hollyhock Background and Texture packs, and Kraft cs; My Mind's Eye Kraft patterned paper 6 x 6
Accents - CTMH Olive, Buttercup, Hollyhock brads, Buttercup organdy (long retired); Martha Stewart white daisies