True Freedom

Hello! Happy Wednesday! It's time for a new challenge at Word Art Wednesday. This week we are looking at Psalm 119:45, "And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts." So many people think that following the Lord's plan for our life is constricting, confining and brings misery. However, it is just the opposite. When we follow the Lord's precepts, we are free from the bondage that sin brings. When we do things within God's will, we are free from the fetters of the consequences of our own bad decisions. We don't have to feel weighed down by a load of guilt and shame. Those who follow the Lord are the ones that are truly free.

I made two cards to share with you this week. The first card uses this week's free WORDart designed by Karen Murray. Don't forget to stop by the Word Art Wednesday blog to download it for yourself. I used Mojo Monday Sketch 477 for my card design and papers and dies by Divinity Designs. Since we are celebrating Independence Day tomorrow, I chose a patriotic color scheme.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Recollections #110 (white card base), Bazzill (Night Water), Ms. Sparkle & Co. Glitter & Foil Paper - Gold and Silver (silver foil), Georgia Pacific (white for sentiment panel)
Patterned Paper: Divinity Designs (Old Glory Paper Pad, Stars and Stripes Paper Pad)
Stamp: WORDart by Karen (Psalm 119:45)
Dies: Divinity Designs (Sparkling Stars, Double Stitched Rectangles)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Always Fun Challenges #117 - Patriotic 
Crafty Cardmakers #237 - Dies or Punches (I used dies) 
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Stars and/or Stripes
 

My second card features products by this week's wonderful sponsor, Stamp Simply Ribbon Store. I used two stamp sets and one die set on this card. I chose to just MOJO Sketch 506 as my inspiration but I changed up several of the elements.  The main tulip image from the Get Well Tulip stamp set was colored with Copic Markers. The image panel was cut down and matted with some pink cardstock I found in my stash. A sentiment from Thinking of You Rose was stamped on white cardstock and die cut with one of the dies in the Fishtail Sentiment Banners die set. A few sequins from my stash embellishment the fishtail sentiment banner. The final embellishment is a coat of Wink of Stella on the tulip.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Recollections #110 (white card base), Bazzill (Greenbriar), Pink (unknown), Georgia Pacific (white)
Patterned Paper: Echo Park (Anything Goes 6 x 6 Pad)
Stamps: Stamp Simply (Get Well Tulip and Thinking of You Rose)
Ink: Memento (Tuxedo Black), VersaFine (Onyx Black)
Copics: YG03, 07; R81, 83, 85
Tools/Embellishments: Stamp Simply die set (Fishtail Sentiment Banners), Zig Wink of Stella glitter brush marker (clear), sequins (unknown)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Inkspirational Challenges #190 - Use three or five items 
YNS Friday Fun Challenge #117 - Use three of something
Crafting from the Heart Challenge #246 - Anything Goes 
Tuesday Throwdown #435 - Anything Goes


Thanks for visiting with me today. I hope those of you in the US enjoy celebrating our country's birthday tomorrow. It was also my dad's birthday and when I was little I thought the whole country was celebrating his birthday too. LOL

Please visit our wonderful sponsor's website. You're sure to find several things to add to your wish list. Also, please visit the Word Art Wednesday blog to see the other projects by the Design Team and to link up your own projects.

Reverse Confetti's Paper Bliss Paper Pad

I am a long-time fan of Kristie Marcotte and her 6 x 6 paper pad tutorials. Kristie takes a 6 x 6 paper pad and usually makes 30-40 cards from it. She doesn't design card sketches but she figures out the measurements to use and then shares those measurements on her blog, The Best Things in Life are Pink. Most of the time, she also provides a video of her process on her YouTube Channel. I've always wanted to give this process a try but have never made it through a whole paper pad. She recently had a give-away sponsored by Reverse Confetti and I won their new Paper Bliss 6 x 6 paper pad. A card group I'm in had a challenge to make 30 cards for a Ronald McDonald House in Charlotte so I thought the time was right to be inspired by Kristie's process, use my new paper pad and make cards to encourage the families of some children with cancer. Kristie uses several card sketches per paper pad. I only used about 4 and I'm very pleased that I was able to make 41 cards: 30 for the Ronald McDonald House and 11 to help build my stash.

The next six pictures are of the cards going to the Ronald McDonald House.  All their cards had to have a "Just for You" or "Welcome" sentiment.

 Here are pics of the 11 cards that went into my stash - some have already been sent out in the mail to friends/family.

This project was so much fun. I definitely want to try it again. If you have questions about specific supplies, leave me a comment below and I'll let you know what I used.

Thanks to Kristie Marcotte for the inspiration and to Reverse Confetti for the paper pad.

Have a good week and thanks for visiting with me today. 

God Gives Wisdom

Hello!  I hope this finds you having a good week. It's time for another Word Art Wednesday challenge. This week we're focusing on James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." I can tell you from recent, first hand experience that this verse is absolutely true. My mother-in-law has been living with us since the fall of 2015. Her health has been gradually declining. She was hospitalized a couple weeks ago and is currently in rehab, however, she has reached the point that she needs care we can no longer provide at home. We've prayed a lot about how best to care for her and for the Lord to open doors about what He'd have us do. He has opened doors and provided a great place for rehab and now a great place for her long-term care. We are still in the transition process, and it is very difficult for her and for us. Our heads agree with her doctor that this is the best thing for her, but our hearts still have to catch up.

Stamp Simply is one of our sponsors this week. They kindly provided me with the Thinking of You Rose stamp set to use. I stamped the rose image in VersaFine Onyx Black ink onto water color paper and then clear heat embossed it. After water coloring it with distress inks, it was fussy cut and partially popped up on the card front. The stamp set has a coordinating die to cut out the rose but I don't own it. Two pieces of patterned paper were used on the card front with a diecut border layered with a cardstock strip and piece of ribbon between them. The verse panel was matted with pink cardstock and layered on the front. Some black gems finish off the card front.

For the interior decorating, another rose was stamped on a watercolor panel, heat embossed and water colored with Distress inks. One of the sentiments from the stamp set was also heat embossed. The watercolor panel was matted and adhered to the interior of the card.


Supplies:
Cardstock: Georgia Pacific (white for verse on front), The Paper Studio Heavy Weight (white for cardbase), Recollections (black), Unknown (Pink cardstock and watercolor paper)
Patterned Paper: The Paper Studio (Petals and Blooms 6 x 6 pad)
Stamps: WORDart by Karen (verse), Stamp Simply clear stamp set (Thinking of You Rose)
Ink: Versafine (Onyx Black), Distress inks for watercoloring (Festive Berries, Picked Raspberry, Lucky Clover, Mowed Lawn)
Tools/Embellishments: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps die (Laceye Eyelet Border - retired), Spellbinders dies (Labels Four, Labels Four Small), Want2Scrap Baby Bling, Offray ribbon

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Crafty Creations Challenge #364 - Anything Goes
Crop Stop Challenge #38 - Use Products/Brands carried by the Crop Stop Store (I used Tsukineko, Fiskars, Ranger, Spellbinders and Scotch)
The Paper Shelter Challenge #334 - Flowers

Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll stop by the Word Art Wednesday blog and see the rest of the Design Team projects and also check out our great sponsors.

Pastor Appreciation Gift Set

Hello! Thanks for stopping by today. It's time for another challenge at Word Art Wednesday. When I saw our focus verse, I knew that it would be perfect for a Pastor Appreciation gift for my husband. 1 Timothy 1:12 says, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me in the ministry." After being in various music ministry positions for 13 years, the Lord called my husband, Tim, to be a pastor. That was over 20 years ago. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Tim would say that it is only because the Lord enables him day by day that he is able to care for the people in our church. Not that our people are difficult, they are not. Our church has a wonderful spirit of unity. It's because Tim feels such a great responsibility to lead them correctly and be a good example to them. He is a bi-vocational pastor so he has to do his studying, visiting, etc. outside of his 40 hour work week at a secular job. He sacrifices a lot of himself to spend time studying, praying, visiting, writing cards and notes and checking up on people via texts, emails and phone calls. I believe the Lord rewards Tim's faithfulness by continuing to give him the strength and wisdom to minister to our church family.

Tim is very supportive of my crafting endeavors so I like to do extra special things for him when making a project for him. He likes my notebooks and uses them to write down prayer requests on Wednesday nights and in keeping track of various items at work (separate notebooks). I noticed that his prayer list notebook was looking a little worse for the wear so I made him a new one. This time I tried putting a coordinating patterned paper as a binding around the spine. Along the edge of this I used jute ribbon and twine for decoration. The sentiment panel was inked before being double matted and adhered to the front.

I decorated the edge of the pocket with a strip of the patterned paper. Tim loves to fish so I wanted to use as much of this paper as possible. The interior was looking a little plain so a matted sentiment was also added above the pocket.

Tim sends out LOTS of cards to our church family when they need encouragement. To use more of the patterned paper, I made him a set of four coordinating cards. Two have a "Thinking of You" sentiment and two have a "Thank You" sentiment. I used Sketch #218 from Operation Write Home for my card design.

Here is a picture of the entire gift set.

Notebook Supplies:
Cardstock: Recollections (kraft), Georgia Pacific (white)
Patterned Paper: The Paper Studio
Stamps: WORDart by Karen (1 Timothy 1:12), Rubbernecker Stamps (Smiles & Thinks of You)
Ink: Versafine (Onyx Black), Distress Ink (Vintage Photo)
Tools/Embellishments: Our Daily Bread Designs dies (Double Stitched Rectangles), Staedtler Fine Tip Marker (brown), The Ribbon Boutique (Jute Ribbon), Wright's twine

Card Supplies:
Cardstock: Recollections (kraft, cream, green)
Patterned Paper: The Paper Studio
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp clear stamps (Many Thanks, Banner Sayings 3 x 4 set)
Ink: Versafine (Onyx Black)
Tools/Embellishments: Our Daily Bread Designs dies (Double Stitched Pennant Flags), Staedtler Fine Tip Marker (brown),Gina Marie Designs enamel dots, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Herringbone)

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:
Crop Stop Linky Party #33 - Use items/brands found in the Crop Stop store (I used Fiskars, Cuttlebug, Tsukineko, Tim Holtz Distress Ink)
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Must Use Patterned Paper

Thanks for visiting with me today. I hope you'll come back often. Please be sure to pick up the free digi WORDart at the Word Art Wednesday blog. While you're there, don't forget to see the rest of the Design Team's projects - you are sure to enjoy! Also, if you haven't already done so, why not send your pastor a note of encouragement and appreciation. He will greatly appreciate it!

Barista Brentwood Owl

I'm back with another card for the Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop. I love this adorable digi image of Brentwood Owl with his coffee travel mug. It was so much fun to color with Copics. I stamped a sentiment on his cup sleeve with VersaFine ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. It adds a subtle texture and shine. For a little more shine, the hearts on the sleeve and on his overalls were coated with Glossy Accents. The image was die cut and matted before being adhered to some fun summery papers.

Supplies:
Cardstock: The Paper Studio Heavy Weight (card base), Georgia Pacific (white for image), Simon Says Stamp (Soft Navy)
Patterned Paper: Echo Park (Just Be You 6 x 6 pad)
Stamps: JessicaLynn Original (Barista Coffee Brentwood Owl), Fiskar's clear stamp set (Latte Love)
Ink: VersaFine (Onyx Black)
Copics: E31, 33, 35, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43; Y11, 13, 15, 35, 38; R24, 27, 29; N0, 1, 3, 5; B000, 32, 34, 39; YG03, 05, 07
Dies: Spellbinders Standard Circles Large & Small
Other: Glossy Accents, Simon Says Stamp Fine Detail Embossing Powder (clear)

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:
CrafyHazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Use Patterned Paper
Deep Ocean Challenge #158 - Lots of Layers
Crop Stop Challenge #29 - Use items or brands found in the Crop Stop online store (I used Fiskar's trimmer and stamps, Cuttlebug, Glossy Accents, Scotch ATG, and Spellbinders)
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by today. I appreciate you taking the time to visit.

Guest Designer for Crop Stop

I have the privilege of being a Guest Designer for The Crop Stop blog. I have enjoyed participating in their challenges (I'm linking to the current challenge) and was really happy when Karen asked me to guest design for them. I enjoy using many of the products that are carried in the Crop Stop store.

I love to try new techniques so I thought that this was a perfect opportunity to try this Emboss Resist technique. I've seen it several places on the web but here is a great how-to video from Gina K of Stamp TV. This is the video that inspired my cards. She uses Zig brush markers but I substituted Distress inks and markers with great results. I had so much fun, I couldn't stop with just one card....I had to make two!

On watercolor paper, I scribbled a Chipped Sapphire Distress Marker in various places. I didn't take any care, I just was laying down color. Then, using an ink blending tool, I added other colors of distress inks all over the watercolor paper. I didn't try to blend them. Again, I was just laying down color. Then using a water brush, I softened the edges of each color and did a little simple blending. I dried this with my heat gun. Then, using Versamark and clear embossing powder, I stamped a swirly image randomly all over the image and heat embossed it. I then generously spritzed the entire piece with a mini-mister. I let the water sit on the surface for about 45 seconds and then blotted it off with a paper towel. The vibrant colors were trapped under the clear embossing but the rest of the distress ink started to lighten up considerably. I continued to spritz and blot until I was happy with the colors. I then let them air dry. I kept the embellishments pretty simple so that I wouldn't cover up too much of the pretty background. The first card is a standard A2 size and uses some fantastic glitter paper from DCWV. The second card is 5" square an has a recessed sentiment.

Products from Crop Stop: Mini Mister, Distress Inks {Chipped Sapphire marker (both), Peacock Feathers (both), Faded Jeans (both), Worn Lipstick (rectangle card only), Fired Brick (rectangle card only)}, Versamark Ink, Star Dust Stickles (rectangular card only), Ink Blending Tool 1" Round, Cuttlebug machine,

Other items from brands carried by Crop Stop - Spellbinders Standard Circle Dies Large and Small (square card only), Ranger Multi Medium Matte, Fiskars trimmer (the blades can be purchased at CS), Fiskars butterfly punch (rectangular card only)

Other supplies used on these cards that have not been mentioned above:

Both Cards:
Strathmore Cold Press Watercolor Paper (300 Series)
Georgia Pacific white cardstock 
Recollections black cardstock
The Paper Studio rhinestones and sequins
Stampin' Up! Crystal Clear embossing powder
 
Rectangular Card only:
Inkadinkado clear stamp sets (Floral Flourish, Chelsea Sentiment)
DCWV Glitzy Glimmer paper
Stampendous Opaque White embossing powder
 
Square Card only:
Momenta Butterfly Die
Dare 2B Artzy clear stamp set (Prayers 4 You)
Versafine Onyx Black ink 
Studio G 5" Square cards/envelope set
Bazzill Vellum

I hope you will stop by the Crop Stop for your stamping needs. They carry a wide variety of items from many of the popular manufacturers. Thanks to Crop Stop for allowing me to Guest Design for them. It was so much fun!!