A Farewell Hop

This is a bittersweet hop as the TCM team says goodbye to The Craft's Meow. It's bitter for me because it's always hard to say goodbye to something that has been a big part of my crafting life the last two years. I will miss the regular interaction with the team and the excitement of seeing the new stamp designs coming up. It has been a privilege to see the DT's beautiful handiwork applied to my designs. I'm truly thankful for each of them.

This is also a sweet moment not just for me, but also for Lisa, the owner of TCM. Lisa is about to embark on a new chapter of her professional life that necessitates the change. And I support her wholeheartedly as she faithfully obeys God's direction.

For me, TCM's closing comes at an opportune time. God's timing is always perfect. My family and ministry life is taking up more time than ever and I welcome the change. (I'm not going away completely though, since I still do product design for other companies.) And I couldn't be happier for Lisa as she pursues what she believes God is leading her to. It is an exciting place to be! Not because of the unknown, but because we get to practice our trust in Him. We get to put into action our faith in a benevolent God who sees the bigger picture of our lives.

Now, onto today's projects. I have 2 cards that show how I feel today. The first card is for all the TCM fans out there who have joined us in this journey. Thank you for your support and sharing the joys of new stamps and using them to brighten somebody's day. I used the Chalkboard Birthday stamp set. The papers and lace stickers are by Hot Off the Press and bling by Want2Scrap.

My second card is for all those affected by TCM's closing more directly: Lisa, the illustrators, designers and others. What a fitting word of encouragement as we look ahead to the future, knowing that God is there all the way and His promises are ever true. I used Chalkboard Faith for the main sentiment.

Saying goodbye to TCM is bittersweet indeed, but I think the sweet could prove to be more important, and definitely longer lasting, than the bitter part because God is in it and He never, ever disappoints. 

If you came from the talented Lindsay Amrhein's blog, then you're at the right place. TCM is closing its doors at the end of December. All stamp sets have been marked down by as much as 75%! Stock is limited... once it's gone, it's gone for good, so please shop early for the best selection. All orders of $25 or more will receive a free gift with purchase. Flat rate shipping is $3.00 for all US orders and $12 for all International orders. Please see the store blog for details, or click over to The Craft's Meow store to start shopping!And from here, you need to stop by sweet Larissa Heskett's blog.

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Happy World Cardmaking Day 2013!

I am excited to participate in today's World Card Making Day festivities. I'm blog hopping today with the Paper Crafts Magazine. You can see the full list of participants HERE. In a few hours, I'll be hosting some ladies for a card making party in my home. It's still a novelty here and I'm glad I can share this hobby with my friends here. I believe this is the 3rd in a row that I've hosted a party on WCMD. As you can see on the photos below, we love card making!

Here are my cards today. The first one is Christmas. I did emboss resist on the background using Penny Black's All is Bright stamp set. The dear is Spellbinders' Frosty Forms dies. I added a small Want2Scrap pearl on his nose and some Twinery bow on top.

I hand cut the snowy hills. The sentiment is SRM Stickers Fancy Sentiments Christmas.

My second card uses a stamp set I've been using a lot lately, The Craft's Meow's Chalkboard Faith. The papers are by Hot Off the Press. The intricate doily and lace stickers are also by HOTP. And they are my new favorites. I'm entering this to Moxie Fab World's Sticker and Tape Challenge.

Don't you just love the quote? I added a strip of Want2Scrap pearls on the side and on the tag.

And here are a couple of photos of our past card making parties in Croatia.

 

To continue on with the rest of the hope, please go here --->>> Brandi Hall. You can see the full list here:  WCMD Blog Hop List. Thank you for joining us and happy hopping!

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Great Hearts Vintage Card

 I have a shabby vintage card for you today using Chalkboard Faith again. This is one of those sets that I  selfishly made just because I want to use it on my cards :). I especially love this quote by C. Spurgeon. Its message can bring hope to any troubled friend.

I used Hot Off the Press' Penelope papers. I just love this very vintage and colorful collection. I inked the edges of the panels and did some stitching to add to the vintage look.

The friend sentiment is from Kindred Spirits, also by TCM. It's accented by Want2Scrap pearls and mounted the sentiment using SAby3L Foam Squares. I adhered using SAby 3L Dodz. Various buttons and paper flowers, that were laying on my desk, were used to anchor the sentiment. And finally a twill bow embellished the card. I'm entering this to Moxie Fab World's Ready Made Embellishments challenge.

Have a super weekend, friends!

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God's Work Mixed Media Card

Hello, friends! I hope you are enjoying your first few days of fall. Autumn has definitely arrived in Croatia. I love it when the sun is shining but the temps are a little on the cool side (emphasis on LITTLE :). I haven't been much online since I was in a wedding over the weekend, hosted an out of town friend, hosted some more friends, and finished our Christmas cards this year, all 140+ of them. I had very eager little helpers to get me going. :)

My card for today is mixed media inspired. I used my newest TCM Stamps, Chalkboard Faith.  I first colored the background with some Oil Pastels (or crayons would do, if you don't have the pastels), which makes this card perfect for the Moxie Fab Color Media Challenge. I then rubbed them with my fingers to blend. I used DecoArt's Modeling Paste and Want2Scrap's Bare Tree Stencil to create the tree. I let it dry for a few hours.

Because the quote lines are so close together, I stamped it twice. I cut the banner lines from one of the stamped images, and the others from the 2nd. I highlighted them with some Want2Scrap bling. The tree was decorated with paper flowers. A little bit of Twinery is added before I adhered it to the base.

Here is the stamp set I used. Have a great day!

The Craft's Meow's September Release Blog Hop

Welcome to The Craft's Meow's September Release Blog Hop. Thank you for joining us today. If you came from Lin's blog, then you're at the right spot. To see the full list, make sure you visit the TCM blog. I have 3 cards to show you today.

The first two use my new Chalkboard Faith set. I white embossed the sentiments and swiped various Distress inks across the panel.

Here's one in Aqua. The paper strips are October Afternoon.

My third card uses Autumn Borders. The turkey and foliage were colored with Copics to match the papers, also by October Afternoon, and embellished with Want2Scrap pearls. Some twill tape, stitching, button, and twine finish the card.

The Craft's Meow is giving away all the new sets. One random commenter will win all six of the newly released stamp sets by leaving comments on the blogs on the hop. You have until 8:00 pm Pacific on Friday, August 23rd to enter. The winner will be announced the next day on the TCM blog. 

Your next stop is my friend -->> Sharri<<--.

The Craft's Meow Previews: Rustic Greetings and Chalkboard Faith

Welcome to The Craft's Meow's September previews. Today we're showing two sets, one designed by Angelica Suarez called Rustic Greetings and another by me called Chalkboard Faith.

I have two cards for you. The first one uses Chalkboard Faith in a feminine card. I looked for quotes by some of my favorite Reformed authors and preachers. Today's card uses one by Charles Spurgeon, sometimes referred to the Prince of Preachers.

I white embossed the quote and the border that is also in the set. I then die cut the cardstock using Spellbinders Labels 29. The papers are Teresa Collins. A couple of Want2Scrap rhinestones accent the chalkboard panel.

My second card uses Rustic Greetings. I stamped the background using 3 of the plaid-making designs in the set. I created a panel for the dear using one of my new Spellbinders die designs called Exquisite Labels 11.

I also die cut the oval using Spellbinders dies.

Make sure you go to the TCM blog for more info on today's previews, including a chance to win today's set! Happy hopping!