Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Twist of Faith #37 - The Ties That Bind

This week at Twist of Faith Challenge #37, the theme is:
THE TIES THAT BIND!
We want to see STRING/TWINE in your creation.
Your creation should also include a scripture, uplifting verse or positive words/quote
MDblinkie
Our challenge this week is sponsored by MelJen's Designs, who continues to delight us with magical images! Our MelJens prize is 4 uncoloured images. I used her image called "A Girl and Her Kitty."
 
 
When I threaded two of the buttons on the top right side, I threaded from the top and left the twine extra long so I could tie them together in a bow. The middle button and the flower button are tied with brown waxy flax. I also threaded some twine through a couple of the holes of the floral oval mat and on the lower left hand corner and tied a bow. Behind that mat is a small turquoise mat that shows through a little. For some reason I thought it looked better that way.

Here is the jpg file of the verse I created. If you want to copy it, click on it to get the larger size, then right click and do a save as.
 
 



I used ideas from the following challenges to design this card:
As You Like It #1 - favorite dies and punches - Spellbinders Nestabilities Floral oval
Basic Grey #93 - Mix and Match - papers from hello luscious, Knee Highs (pink), Bowties (turquoise)
 
 


Stamp and Create May Color Challenge - bright pink, turquoise, lime green, brown
Stampin' for the Weekend - lots of buttons
Sweet Sketch Wednesday #205 - the following sketch rotated

 
Word Art Wednesday #79 - anything goes with Scripture or encouraging/uplifting verse
 
Thank you for visiting and I hope you'll join our challenge with your own string or twine creation!



Sunday, May 12, 2013

S.P.R.I.N.G. Card with Mojo Monday

This will be a brief post - it's a very busy day today! I couldn't resist making this card with the Graphic45 paper collection "Birdsong." I have a son and daughter-in-law that love all things Asian.

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch again:

 
For the Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge #153, I used four letters from their SPRING word recipe:  S - scripture sentiment, P - pink, Plum blossoms embossing folder, R - ribbon, I - inking the edges - and G - Glitter Gems from CTMH. The solid pink and the blue butterfly are both from Basic Grey. The butterfly punch is Martha Stewart's.
 
 
 
 
I'm sharing this card with these challenges:
A Gem of a Challenge #79 - Things with wings
Creative corner #18 - Things with wings
Mojo Monday 292 - Sketch
Our Daily Bread SLC #153 - use 4 of the letters of SPRING
Word Art Wednesday #79 - anything goes with scripture or uplifting, encouraging verse


Saturday, May 11, 2013

Dream Pop Neon Colored Birthday

Here is the card I made for my friend Becky's birthday. She's an amazing mom and grandmother. I don't see her aging at all, so she deserves a bright, youthful birthday card. Inside her card I told her how glad I was that we're friends, but that we're also sisters in Christ. We share prayer requests with each other, and this month I'm praying God will lead her to the right job!

I was thrilled to see the challenge at Paperminutes - to use neon colors. They said that the 90's trend is back, so I'm taking their word for it, especially after visiting Archiver's today and seeing new papers by different companies. I chose to use the CTMH paper pack, Dream Pop, that's the May special, because I knew Becky was getting that pack and would probably love some ideas for using it.



The sketch this week from Mojo Monday was my guide:



The Delightful Challenge this week to use something from your stash gave me the idea to use some really old flowers that almost matched the bright pink in the paper. Because I had used a dotted embossing folder, I added the dotted flower below the brighter solid pink one. The flower and the paper ribbon were enhanced with gray CTMH Licorice Opaque pearls. I tried something new for the ribbon. I attached one of the paper's zip strips on top of white twill. That really seemed to dress up the twill and the twill addition looked much better than the paper strip alone.

Thank you for letting me share my craft with you and may God bless you as you share yours with others.

I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
Delightful Challenge - Stash It (flowers more than 5 years old)
Dilly Beans - Celebrations
DRS Designs #69 - Circles (I cut two out of the patterned paper and matted them on two gray circles that I punched out 2.5" and 1.75")
Mojo Monday #292 - sketch
Paperminutes #268 - neon colors
Ribbon Carousel #81 - celebrations with spooled item (birthday with twill)



 

Thursday, May 9, 2013

In God's Hands

When I was younger, I would easily become overcome with worrying about different things in life. One of my younger friends is going through that right now. We've been talking this week about leaving her burden in God's hands. She calls it putting it in her "God box" and I said if it doesn't stay in there, keep putting it back in until you have peace. I usually encourage her or my children to then focus on the truths in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" instead of dwelling on the problem. Here's the card I made with this issue in mind.



I have enjoyed the new set, Loving Hands, from Clear Dollar Stamps. I love the sentiment I used today as an encouragement for a friend. I used Photoshop to combine the image of praying hands with a matching sentiment. I'll explain how I did it below in case you want to try combining.

I had seen a color challenge that asked for dark blue, pink, and gold, so I started making my card with those, but eventually changed out the blue to this aqua/CTMH Lagoon color. Here are two of the other challenges I used to make my card. The Sweet Sunday Sketch from The Sweetest Thing and Nutcrafters Bingo:


 
I chose to emboss the card front with a Cuttlebug 5" x 7" medium dots embossing folder so it would coordinate with the dotty paper. I made the scallop by cutting a piece of Prima "Madeline" stripes freehand, following the curve of the design. The pink mat is Spellbinders Nestabilities "Fleur de Lis." The Lagoon "Dotty for You" and gold glitter cardstock are from CTMH. I coordinated it with the gold edged white organdy. To make my image I opened the praying hands image and reduced the opacity to 50%. Then I copied and pasted the sentiment on top. 
 
I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
ABC #27 - Tic Tac Toe (ribbon, flowers, pink cardstock)
As You Like It #1 - die cuts and punches (fleur de lis rectangle)
Crafty Sentiments - Use a sentiment
Nutcrafters #42 - Bingo (embossing, blooms, ribbon)
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Penny's Paper-Crafty #126 - die cuts and/or punches
The Sweetest Thing - Sweet Sunday Sketch #183
Word Art Wednesday #79 - anything goes with scripture or uplifting/encouraging verse
 
 

 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

PSC #78 - Dry Embossing

We had so many amazing entries in our last challenge to make a feminine card. Remember to stop by on Friday to see if you're a winner. The new challenge at The Perfect Sentiment Challenge #78 is my favorite technique:

CREATE A CARD FOR THE OCCASION OF YOUR CHOICE AND INCLUDE SOME 
DRY EMBOSSING. DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE YOUR SENTIMENT ON THE FRONT.

http://www.thepapershelter.com/

Our sponsor this week is The Paper Shelter who has an amazing prize of a $20 gift voucher for a lucky entrant.

I used one of their images called "Let's Go to Sleep." I started to use a quote about following your dreams, but when I attached this lovely girl to the white embossed hearts and saw how she was hugging the dog, I changed it to say "from my heart" with an older CTMH stamp I have.


The hearts were embossed with a folder from The Paper Studio. The yellow dp was embossed using a Sizzix "Swirly Vines and Hearts" folder. The two corners were embossed with a small Cuttlebug folder from the set "Formal Squares," cut in half diagonally, then sanded. I added the row of sparkles along the edges of the corner adornments and the sentiment circle.  I used this sketch from Just Us Girls:



I used a lot of Copic markers to color this lovely image:
E00, E02, E11, E13, E21, E30, E33, E34, E35, E43, E95
Y21, YR31, YR61
R01, R20, R21, RV14
BV00, BV02, B21
N0

I hope you'll join our challenge and show what you like to do with dry embossing.


I used the following challenges to design this card so I'm sharing this card with:

ABC Challenge #27 - Tic Tac Toe - ribbon, flowers, pink cardstock
All Sorts #205 - add some sparkle
Crafty Boots - use a stamped character
Creative Card Crew #35 - bling
Deep Ocean #51 - Let's Sparkle
Forever Friends Fortnightly Challenge #61 - Pastel Colors
Just Us Girls #187 - Sketch
My Heart Pieces - embossing
Paper Nest Dolls Challenge #3 - Emboss It
Paper Playtime #9 - Emboss dry or wet









 

Your Friendship is a Gift from God

The closer it gets to Mother's Day, the more I think about the many women I know who deserve a Mother's Day card for a variety of reasons. I know two mothers who may be sad on Mother's Day because their older children have reached that stage of independence where they've moved out of the house in rebellion and treat their mothers like dirt - so sad, but true. I know they won't be receiving cards from those children for Mother's Day. This card is for one of them. Most cards sing the praises of motherhood and most mothers love that. But when the pain is recent and deep, I fear that some of those platitudes only rub salt in the wound. So I'm sending a special friendship card for that day, because they can know that our friendship is true. I want the recipient of this card to know how glad I am to have her as a Christian friend and that God heals wounds.

I was attracted to the sketch this week at Sketchy Colors. I thought it would work well with my image from Clear Dollar Stamps that I colored with Copics.  The flower image comes from the set "Spring Trimmings" and the sentiment comes from "Christian Friendship." To accompany the flower basket, I used papers from Basic Grey's Oh, Baby Girl and Graphic 45's Secret Garden.

 
 
I used the following Copic markers to color the image:
E21, E34, E43
BV02, BV04, B95, BG78
YG23, YG63, Y21
N0 
 
I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
All Sorts #205 - sparkle (CTMH blue/green sparkle collection)
Clear It Out - anything goes / stash item: use two or more pattened papers
Cutie Pie Challenge #43 - lots of layers
Love to Create #64 - for a mom or special lady
Marker Pop #22 - May Flowers (colored with Copic markers)
Order of the Opus Gluei #156 - Bouquet for you
Whoopsi Daisy - for a special lady
2 Sisters #142 - Bingo (bottom row across: die cut, sentiment, flowers )
 
 
 
 

 
 
 

Twist of Faith #36 - Mother's Day

Next Sunday, May12th, is Mother's Day in the U.S. Our challenge today can help you make cards for your mom, grandmother, mother-in-law, aunt, daughter, mother-to-be, good friend, etc. If you don't live in the U.S. you can always make a card for that person just celebrating how special they are.

I have so many wonderful conversations with my oldest daughter about nutrition and feeding her four guys and daughter with nourishing foods when they'd rather eat fun or junk food. She is persistent and determined in their busy lives not to take the easy carry-out food path, even on nights when her hubby and three boys have sports practice. This isn't easy when you work full time and attend many functions in church. So it was easy to decide who would get this card with the lovely Eleanor and Lily Strawberries digi from Lacy Sunshine Stamps, our sponsor this week at Twist of Faith. Our challenge is:

Make a Mother's Day card.
Your creation should also include a scripture, uplifting verse or positive words/quote.

Our sponsor, Lacy Sunshine Stamps, will be providing ____ to one lucky winner.


My card was made using this fun sketch from Sketch 'n' Stash, along with my overstock of Basic Grey "Baby Girl" paper that goes back quite a few years. (Why did I get two packs of girly paper when our kids kept having boys?)

 
 
Before designing my card I chose to use the ABC Challenge Tic Tac Toe for this week using ribbon, flowers, and pink cardstock (behind the sentiment). The CTMH ribbon reminded me of strawberries with the gray dots. I also used CTMH Sweet Leaf green bitty sparkles on her glasses where there were four dots on each side. I used a lot of Copics and will list these at the end.



I wanted a portion of Proverbs 31 to be my front sentiment. That is the chapter that describes the actions and qualities of an excellent wife or  mother. I memorized that passage in church when I was a young teenager. I still look at it as something to strive for since none of us are perfect. Here is my sentiment in case you want to use it. I reduced the size to 3.5 " wide when I was ready to make my card. You can click on it to get a larger version, then right click and do a "Save As." I printed mine on a 4 x 6 card.


I'm sharing this card with the following challenges:
ABC Challenges #27 - Tic Tac Toe
Card Mania #20 - flower power
Created with Love #40 - Mother's Day
Creative Stamp Friends #76 - Mother's Day
Get Inky #3 - Floral fun
Love to Create #64 - For a mom or special lady
My Craft Spot #96 - For mom
Sketch 'n' Stash #113 - sketch plus my old stash of Basic Grey "Baby Girl"
Tammy's Scrapin Corner #61 - Mother's Day
Word Art Wednesday #78 - anything goes with scripture or uplifting verse

Here are the verses I'm including inside her card from Bible Gateway's Proverbs 31:

Description of a Worthy Woman

10 An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She looks for wool and flax
And works with her [h]hands [i]in delight.
14 She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.
15 She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And [j]portions to her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From [k]her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds [l]herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.
18 She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her [m]hands grasp the spindle.
20 She [n]extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And [o]supplies belts to the [p]tradesmen.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the [q]future.
26 She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the [r]teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
29 “Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who [s]fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her the [t]product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.


Copics used:

E00, E02, E21, E25, E33, E35, E43
R20, R21, R29, R81, R83
RV14
YG23, YG63
G24, G28