Paper Piecing Pun Fun

I {heart} paper piecing!!! If you haven't tried it yet, you really should. It's way easier than it looks and is a fun new way to use stamps that you'd normally color. Paper piecing is Beate's feature technique in this week's SCS weekly inking and you can see her great tutorial HERE. I did some paper piecing at my workshops earlier this year and you can see my brief tutorial HERE. I also used this week's SCS sketch challenge 178 for the birdie card. I stamped the birdie from the Pun Fun set (don't you just love his belly & that sweet little grin on his face?), with Jet Black Stazon and colored his beak with an SU Pumpkin Pie marker. The DPs, self-adhesive flowers and textured cardstock all came from my Crew Kids Girls Simply Scrappin Kit! Here's a little closer look at that birdie and the paper piecing : ) ~
I know, I know...you're probably tired of seeing the Pun Fun set...but it's perfect for the paper piecing technique (besides, I just love it...a bunch!). Here's another card I made today. I think this one should have a coffee gift card inside, don't you? Mmmm, makes me want a latte right now...I wonder if Starbucks has ever considered doing home deliveries, like the pizza guys, only way better, cause they'd be bringing coffee, good coffee, yum! Maybe we should start a petition. lol !!! The DP is from the Prints Pack Designer Series pack (hostess level-1). I stamped the cup and sentiment in Black Stazon, then added some Dazzling Diamonds to the hearts and dots with a Sakura quickie glue pen. Then I added some White Liquid Applique and Irridescent Ice EP for "foam" and hit it with the Heat Gun. The foam is puffy and shimmery, you can kind of see it here ~ Okay, now it's your turn...when you get a chance, try some paper piecing...you'll love it! Hope you have a great weekend. Enjoy EVERY minute : ) !!!

Supplies for the Birdie card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun Paper: Wasabi & Regal Rose (regular and textured), Whisper White, Crew Kids SSK DP Ink: Jet Black Stazon Acessories: Word Window Punch, Horizontal slot punch, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Ticket corner punch, Self adhesive die cut flowers from the Crew Kids SSK, Kaiser self adhesive rhinestones, 1/4" pink gg ribbon, striped Amuse ribbon

Supplies for the Latte card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun Paper: Regal Rose (regular & textured), Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Designer Series Prints Pack Ink: Black Stazon Accessories: Pink Brads, 1/16" hole punch, 1/4" circle punch, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, 1/4" pink gg ribbon, Liquid Applique, Irridescent ice DP, Heat Gun, Dazzling Diamonds, Sakura quickie pen, Sakura clear glaze pen

Happy Stamping : )

Pun Fun Baby Boy

Well, I didn't get to do the SCS Sketch challenge yesterday (yet) because I'm out of town...but did manage to make one quick baby card before leaving. The sketch looks like a fun one, hopefully I'll get a chance to play when I get back. I did need to make a card for a couple who just had a baby boy and my Pun Fun & Phrases for a Friend sets made it really quick & easy!!! I just love that sweet little skunk! I know, it's probably not traditional to put a skunk on a baby card, but I think it works : ) !

By the way, SU has extended the dates for the Occasions Mini catalog, so you can still order Phrases for a Friend and all the other great stuff from that mini through June 30th...Yay! If you'd like to take a look at the mini catalog(warning, looking through the mini can be hazardous to your checkbook, lol!), you can see the on-line version right HERE.

That's it for today.Take care & thanks for stopping by : )

Supplies for the card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun, Phrases for a Friend Paper: Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (hostess level-1) Ink: Brilliance Graphite, Brocade Blue Copics: N1, 3 & 6, C1, B23, G82 Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Ticket corner punch, Bashful brads, 316" corner punch (scallops), Sakura quickie glue pen, Sakura green gel shimmer pen, Sakura clear glaze pen, green striped ribbon from Amuse

Happy Stamping : )!

Path of Life Color Challenge

Yesterday's color challenge at SCS was to use Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip & Very Vanilla (CC168). Gorgeous combo...those colors were meant to be together : ) ! If you haven't worked with them in a while, just pull them out and look at them together...they're so pretty! After seeing the color challenge and spotting my new Path of Life set (Our Daily Bread Designs) sitting on my workbench, I decided to combine the two. I had originally planned on coloring and/or watercoloring the garden scene, but for this color challenge, decided to keep the image really simple. I used textured & embossed cardstock for the layers & touches of Spica clear glitter pen and Sakura clear glaze pen along the path and gate. Unfortunately, my camera just isn't doing a good job lately in capturing texture, color & detail properly...I'm thinking maybe it's time to upgrade. Today's cards are really much prettier irl, but look washed out in the photos. Sorry about that! If anyone has a good tip on a great digital camera, I'm all ears : ) !!!

I used the same stamp set and basically the same supplies for both cards. I ran some chocolate chip cardstock through my cuttlebug (textile ef) then cut some angled panels for the first card and photo corners for the second. I only used part of the garden image for the first card. The nice part about a big image (this one is 4 3/4 x 3 1/2") is that you can use whatever portion you like or want for a particular project. You can see more of the image on the second card. I did cover up part of it with the scripture, but you get the idea. Very versatile image...lots of possibilities. Here's a close-up of the path and gate, to give you a better look at the beautiful artistry in this stamp ~

I hope to have some colorful examples to show you with this stamp set soon. But in the meanwhile, there are LOTS of great examples over at the ODBD site, including many colorful examples made by the incredibly talented members of the ODBD design team. Just click HERE to check it out : ) !!! We got a sneak peek at the sets that Kelley will be releasing next month...all I can say is WOW : ) ! You're gonna love 'em!!

Supplies for the first card~ Stamps: Path of Life Paper: Textured Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip & Very Vanilla Ink: Stazon Timber Accessories: 1/16" hole punch, 1/4" circle punch, Pewter brads, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Stamp-a-majig, Dimensionals, Cuttlebug with Textile EF, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen

Supplies for the second card: Stamps: Path of Life Paper: Textured Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip & Very Vanilla Ink: Stazon Timber Accessories: Photo corner punch, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths." Psalm 25:4

If friends were flowers

Isn't that a sweet sentiment? I got it at the Amuse shop when I was in Seattle in March and totally forgot about it. It was perfect for this adorable mouse image that I colored earlier this week. It's another one that Joy from Eclectic Paperie let me stamp at the Copic class!! It's called "Squeeze till I Squeak", by Penny Black.

By the way, a couple of you left comments about an easier way to make the 1/4" circles for behind the brads...and you were totally right, it's much easier! If you punch the paper first with a 1/16" hole punch, then punch around that with your 1/4" circle punch, its super easy. I don't know why I didn't think of that : ) ... but now I know, and so do you!!

I'll have a few more ODBD projects to show you this week, from the Path of Life stamp set...so stay tuned for that!!

Supplies for the card~ Stamps: Squeeze till you Squeak (Penny Black), Sentiment (Amuse) Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (hostess level-1) Ink: Brilliance Graphite, Timber Stazon Copics: I was watching a movie with DH earlier this week and coloring at the same time...I didn't keep track of what I was using (sorry) Accessories: Silver brads, 1/16" hole punch & 1/4" circle punch, 5/8" striped gg ribbon, Sakura Clear glaze pen

Have a MARVELOUS Monday... thanks for stopping by : ) !!!

Hydrangeas & Hippos

How's that for a catchy title : ) ?? First, the hydrangea card. The flower is from Blooming Beautiful (Occasions Mini Catalog). My friend, Nancy Littrell, was nice enough to let me borrow this set and stamp some images. We did a little swap. She has my beloved "A Little Birdie Told Me" set, and I have this one. Nancy is a great friend...{big hugs} for Nancy : ) !!!! The real reason I borrowed this was so I could practice watercoloring, but today, I didn't have much time, so I used my Copics (oh yeah!!!). The sentiment is from the brand spankin new Fresh Cuts stamp set...available as a special sneak peak purchase June 1st -30th!! I have the sweeeet notecards that go with that set too (just arrived today), so I'l be showing you those, along with the rest of the set soon! Here are the Copics I used to color the image (including B63, light hydrangea...how perfect is that?) ~

I stamped the image with Graphite Brilliance ink (love that stuff...got mine at Eclectic Paperie) onto Shimmer White cardstock (love that too...it's SU!). This was my first attempt with the hydrangea image and it was a quick one. I think next time I'd try a different layout, it looks too tall to me...but still pretty (irl anyway) so I thought I'd show it to ya : ) . No matter what lighting I used, the photo just isn't coming close to capturing the vivid color, shimmer & dimension that's on the card and especially on the image, it's really pretty...but, you'll have to take my word for it. Or, if you're ever in North Bend, you can stop by and have a cup of tea with me, and I'll show it to ya : ) !

And now, onto the Hippo. I made this card, with my Pun Fun & Phrases for a Freind sets. I made it for a brand new mom and her precious new little one : ) ! Congratulations Angeline & Malia!! And congrats to grandma, Rachel, and great grandma, Kay too!!!

Speaking of grandmas...guess who else is going to be a grandma soon??? Yep, you guessed it...it's me! My daughter, Kathryn, and her husband Ryan are expecting their first baby on December 31st! Wooo-hooo! We're all very excited!! I just finished Katie's (or Kathyrn as she prefers to be called these days) college graduation announcements last week...and now, there will be baby announcements before you know it!! Oh how fun : ) !

That's it for today. I probably won't post anything for a few days. Memorial weekend and family fun...you know how it is : ) ! Be safe & have a super fun weekend!!! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies for the Hydrangea Card~ Stamps: Blooming Beautiful & Fresh Cuts Paper: Night of Navy, Orchid Oppulence, Shimmery White Ink: Brilliance Graphite (image) and Black Stazon (sentiment) Copics: see above Accessories: Silver HPH, Small Oval punch, Bashful Taffeta Ribbon, Paper piercing tool, Dimensionals, spica clear glitter pen, Sakura clear glaze pen

Supplies for the Hippo Card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun, Phrases for a Friend Paper: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (hostess level-1) Ink: Brilliance Graphite, Regal Rose Copics: N1, 3 & 6, C1, RV10, 21 & 23 Accessories: 3/16" corner punch (for scallops), Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Sakura clear glaze pen, 1/4" gg ribbon in pink & white

Blooming Beautiful

This is my card for Wednesday's SCS sketch challenge, SC177. I kept my card really simple. Everytime I'd tried to add more, it just took away from the beautiful image. The image is from the Blooming Beautiful set (Occasions Mini Catalog)... it was stamped with Black Stazon onto watercolor paper. Then, I watercolored it : )! Yep, that's right, no Copics were used in the coloring of this image (I know, it's hard to believe)!! I used 4 things, 1) a Watercolor brush, 2) water, 3) Real Red Classic ink pad & 4) an Old Olive marker....how simple is that? My friend Nancy Littrell shared this stamped image with me (don't you love how she stamped the definition right over the stem?) and gave me some excellent tips for watercoloring. Thanks Nancy, you're awesome!!! It was so easy and fun. All that shading you see was just done by adding varying amounts of Real Red ink. I colored in parts of the stem with my Old Olive Marker, then used the watercolor brush to blend. Just for fun, I added a few shimmery highlights with myspica clear glitter pen, it's really subtle.

Quick post today...lots to do : ) ! Hope you have a great day!!

Supplies for the card~
Stamps: Blooming Beautiful (available through June 30th...Occasions Mini Catalog)
Paper: Real Red & Old Olive textured, Whisper White (layers), Watercolor paper (140# cold pressed)
Ink: Black Stazon, Real red classic inkpad. Old Olive marker
Accessories: Watercolor brushes, Silver brads, Dimensionals, Spical clear glitter pen

Bayou Blooms

This week's SCS color challenge, CC167, was to use Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery & Soft Sky ... now there are only 2 things that will convince me to use Blue Bayou, one is a good color challenge and the other is...ummm, well, okay, I guess there is only one : ) , lol!!! In anycase, this was the color challenge and I decided to give it a try. It's not that I don't like Bayou. I've seen in used in gorgeous ways, just not on my workbench. I think what really inspired me was this great Penny Black Flower Image...another one that Joy, from Eclectic Paperie let me stamp when we were at the Copic class (thanks again Joy!). That got things rolling.

Speaking of Copics, here's what I used for the image ~

My Copics were a little jealous, because they'd heard that other bloggers photograph their Copics to show which ones were used, and I hadn't done that yet...so, yeah, today they got their picture taken : ) ... at least these 6 did!

Have you tried putting 1/4" circles behind your brads yet? You just punch a circle of cardstock out with a 1/4" circle punch, then using the paper piercing tool to pop a hole in the center then pushed the brad through. I can't remember where I first saw this done (may have been Cami)...but I liked the look. You'll have to give it a try! It's just another way to add a bit of color balance and coordination to your projects (wow, that almost makes it sound like I know what I'm doing, lol!).

That's all for now! I have a cute, cute little Pun Fun Hippo card to show you...it's pink : ) !!! Later this week, I promise!

Supplies for the card:
Stamps: Constellations (Penny Black) Paper: Blue Bayou (textured), Certainly Celery, Whisper White Ink: Brilliance Graphite Copics: see photo above Accessories: Silver brads, 1/4" circle punch, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, atyou spica glitter markers in clear and gold, Sakura clear glaze pen, polka dot celery ribbon

Kreativ Award

Don't you love going to your mailbox and getting a special card or package? Me too! Same with my email. Occasionally one of my blog readers sends me a special award or an encouraging email and it makes my whole day : ) ! That's what happened today. Comments from the blog show up in my email in-box, and Valita from Valita's Designs & Fresh Folds (from Australia) had given me this awesome award! Thanks Valita...MUCH appreciated : ) !!!

I know of SO many wonderful bloggers, it's hard to narrow this down to just a few, but I would like to pass the award on to the following AMAZING and inspiring blogger/stampers:
Cami ~ Stampalittlelovebaby
Angel ~ Angelosity
Lori ~ StampScents
Jackie ~ The ScallopedEdge
Nancy ~ iStamp
Silke ~ MyLife
Jen ~ StampingTherapy
Check out Valita's blog and those other great blogs too....GREAT stuff to see!

I have two more, Our Daily Bread Design's cards to show you. For the first one, I combined Kelley's new Fruit of the Spirit stamp with my Pun fun set:

Meg gave me some fun new Designer Paper for Mother's day, called Berry Sweet, by K & C Company, and that's the DP I used on both cards. The Brilliance Graphite Ink really popped on the DP!! It's really bright and bold...it was fun to combine this paper with Kelley's Fruit of the Spirit stamps. Scripture cards don't always have to be all serious, soft & pretty...they can be bright, cheerful & fun too!! I like to call this one tropical fruit : )

That's all for now...thanks for stopping by & have an awesome day!!!

Supplies for the Ewe card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun (sheep), Fruit of the Spirit (sentiment), One of a kind (flower) Paper: Basic Black, Pink Passion, Berry Sweet DP, Whisper White Ink: Brilliance Graphite, Pink Passion Copics: N1, C3, RV17 & 21, E00 Accessories: Boho flower punch, paper piercing tool/mat pack, black gingham ribbon, black brads, Fine Cosmic Glitter & Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Sakura quickie glue pen, black eyelet, cropadile

Supplies for the Tropical Fruit Card ~ Stamps: Fruit of the Spirit Paper: Wasabi, Whisper White, Berry Sweet DP Ink: Brilliance Graphite Copics: G 82, 85,99, YG 03, 06, 11, 95, Y 02, 08, 11, 35, YR 02, 04, 07 & 18 Accessories: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Sakura clear glaze pen, dew drops, 3/16" corner punch (for scallops)

Blue Pun Fun

Oh yeah...I'm still having a ton of fun with my new stamp set...Pun Fun! When my friend Shawn gave it to me, she mentioned that the whale was her favorite stamp, so I decided that's what I'd use for her thank you note. I used Phrases for a Friend for the sentiment...I just love how it's chunky and bold, with a dash of fun thrown in : ) . The Pun Fun set includes the sentiment "Get Whale Soon" ... I'll use that another time. Here's a close-up of that happy little whale ~So, I was laying in bed last night & had this card in my head (come on, I know that happens to you too, lol!)...and the part I was excited to try, was the waves. I was thinking that if the corner rounders made good scallops, then one of my fabulous punches should make waves...right? Well, sure enough, the Slit Punch makes perfect waves : ) !!! Here's a photo of how I made 'em ~ Just make sure you leave a tiny space on the base and side of the punch, like you see in the photo. It's really easy. I do better with making my scallops and waves from right to left, but you can do it either way, whatever works for you!

And while I had those supplies out...I also made this "Thank ewe" note ~
And this Congratulations card (the pun fun set has the sentiment "you're a blast" with the rocket ...which is another great option) ~

Here's a close-up of the rocket : ) ... you can see the silver metalic accents made with the Zig Painty Pen and the shimmer from the Dazzling Diamonds glitter~

Ballet Blue is actually very pretty, although you'd never know it from looking at the photos...it's a much softer shade than what's showing up in the photos. Certain colors are just like that. Even my full spectrum light failed me on this one. Oh well, you get the idea.

Gotta go, time to watch a movie with the DH : ) !!

Supplies for the Whale card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun & Phrases for a Friend Paper: Ballet Blue, Brushed Silver, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (hostess level-1) Ink: Palette Noir, Ballet Blue Copics: N1, 3 & 6, B21, E93 Accessories: Sakura Clear glaze pen, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Ticket Corner Punch, Slit Punch, 1/2 & 3/4" Circle Punches, Paper Snips, Silver brads, Dimensionals

Supplies for Ewe card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun Paper: Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (hostess level-1) Ink: Palette Noir Copics: C3, B23, RV21, E00 Accessories: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Silver brads, Small & Large Oval punches, Ticket corner punch, White 1/4" gg ribbon (I used my Ballet blue marker to color the edges), Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Fine Comso Glitter, Ballet Marker, Sakura quickie glue pen, Sakura Clear glaze pen

Supplies for Rocket card ~ Stamps: Pun Fun, Phrases for a Friend Paper: Ballet Blue, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (hostess level-1) Ink: Palette Noir, Going Gray Copics: B-21 & 23, N1,3 & 6, C3 Accessories: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Silver brads, Zig Painty Pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Sakura quickie glue pen

Enjoy your evening : ) ... and when you get a chance, make some waves!

Pun Fun!

I have been blessed with some incredible stamping friends. I had lunch with a couple of them today and had a great time visiting, sharing ideas, eating and...yep, you guessed it...stamping! Nancy, Gail & Kim...you guys are the best (we missed you Cami)! Earlier this week, another friend, Shawn, totally surprised me with an unexpected, just-because little gift...this stamp set, Pun Fun!!!Wow...after I got done doing the happy dance, I got right to work mounting these babies, I couldn't wait to ink 'em up! I decided to mount the sentiments separate from the images, to make the set a bit more versatile. I colored the ewe with Copics (C3, E00 & RV21), used my Sakura quickie pen to add some Dazzling Diamonds & Fine Cosmo Glitter, then cut him out (everything but the legs), restamped the image onto another piece of Whisper White, then popped him up on Dimensionals over the base image. I added some shading around the base image with Copic B41. Here's a close-up of that adorable little ewe holding a glittery heart...
And now...here is the stamp that wiggled it's way into my heart and created the "need" for this set...the skunk! I'm not real big on puns, but come on, "I stink you're sweet", lol : ) .... makes me giggle every single time I think about it! I colored the skunk with Copic N1, N3 & N6, RV17, RV02 & YG06. I used that Sakura quickie glue pen to add Dazzling Diamonds & Fine Cosmo Glitter. BTW, I got the glue pen from Eclectic Paperie. I was looking for a glue pen that would get into tiny spots, for fine detail and Joy told me how much she likes this one...and boy was she ever right. It's perfect! The rest of the card ~ I used a trick I learned from Cami and I pressed my silver brads onto a mini glue dot (you basically wrap the glue dot around the top of the brad), then pressed brad into Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to create the two glittery brads on the top corners. I pulled out the 3/16 corner rounder to make the scallops for the bottom edge.

That's all for now. Hope you have a great weekend : ) !

Supplies for the ewe card~ Stamps: Pun Fun Ink: Palette Noir Paper: Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Cutie Pie DP Accessories: 1/4" gg ribbon in Apricot, Celery & Bashful Blue, Green, Glue & Yellow SU brads, 1" & 1 1/4" Circle punches, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Copic markers, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Fine Cosmo Glitter, Sakura quickie glue pen

Supplies for skunk card~ Stamps: Pun Fun Ink: Palette Noir Paper: Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper Accessories: Ticket Corner punch, 3/16" corner rounder punch, Small & Large Oval punches, Word Window Punch, Paper piercing tool/mat pck, Silver brads, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Mini Glue Dots, Silver Eyelet, Kaiser self-adhesive rhinestones, Fine cosmo Glitter, Copics

Happy Stamping : ) !

Fruit of the Spirit

Happy Thursday : ) ! Today is the 15th and Kelley over at Our Daily Bread Designs just released 2 brand spankin' new stamp sets!! My card uses one of the new sets, Fruit of the Spirit. Kelley also included some great Prism Cardstock in the Design Team's package of goodies (thanks Kelley, you are so good to us!)and issued a color challenge...using Herb Garden Light & Dark, Blush Red Medium & Dark, Sunflowers Light. The papers are smooth on one side and textured on the other....very cool texture and great versatility with the paper! I managed to use all the colors she sent except one...and you will be seeing that later this month. You can check out all those Prism papers and colors right HERE. The other stamp set that was released today is Path of Life, and I hope to have some samples for you very soon. With being out of town last week, I'm still playing a little catch up. You can see the new sets and some awesome examples from the DT right HERE.

This close-up photo gives you a little better look at The Fruit of the Spirit image~

I used my Copics to color and actually mangaged to keep track this time of which colors I was using this time, lol : ) .... R32 & 37, YR02 & 07, Y02, 11, 32, 17 & 19, G40 & 82, BV000, 02 & 08, C3. It's hard to see in the photo, but I also used the atyou Spica clear glitter pen to add accents to the cloth under the bowl, and used my Sakura Clear Glaze pen to add dimension and shine to the grapes and other accent pieces on the fruit and bowl.

My friend & downline, Shawn, stopped by yesterday and gave me the cutest card...can't wait to show you. She also brought me by a little surprise, actually a big delightful surprise....a stamp set that I've wanted for a long time but hadn't ordered yet...Pun Fun!!!! I'm so excited...can't wait to get it mounted and show you some examples. I am truly blessed...lots of new sets to play with : ) !!!

Supplies for my card~

Stamps: Fruit of the Spirit

Paper: Prism (see above for colors) & Whisper White

Ink: Palette Noir

Accessories: Copics (see above for colors), Paper piercing tool/mat pack, banana brads, retired SU sheer green ribbon, Photo corner punch, Cuttlebug with Oval/Scalloped Nestabilities

The Lord satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9

Thanks a Bunch

A Ginormous THANK YOU to everyone who entered to win the blog candy and left great messages of hope, faith and laughter for Megan!! If you're having a tough time of your own right now, I suggest you read through those comments...you can't help but be encouraged : ) ...they'll put a smile right on your face! I've let random.org pick the winner and the winner is....

#9, Janean Campbell said...
I love looking at all of your wonderful creations..I don't know if I've ever left a comment before, but I visit your blog everyday. Your creations are amazing. I have a Megan, too.Here's my kinds words for Megan.We serve a mighty God of refuge and strength, who is ever present in times like this. Take comfort in that He is already there in the midst of this situation. I'm saying a special prayer for you guys..

Hey Janean, bet you're glad you left a comment this time! Congratulations...Woo-hoo for you!! Just email me your mailing address and I'll get those goodies off to you (youcanstamp@hotmail.com). Thank you for your prayer and give your Megan a hug from me : ) !

Here's a close-up of those flowers...so you can see that the centers are actually cut out and popped up with dimensionals. Thanks to Joy : ) from Eclectic Paperie, this is yet another one of the fabulous Penny Black images she let me stamp when we were at the Copics class. And thanks to Jen from ihearttostamp, this card was made with one of her awesome sketches a couple weeks ago.

Supplies for today's card~

Stamp: Garden Poem by Penny Black, the sentiment is a rub-on from Sale-a-bration

Paper: Pretty In Pink, Celery, Pomegranate, Whisper White, Cutie Pie DP

Ink: Brilliance Graphite

Accessories: Copic Markers (sorry, I did this one before I started keeping track of which colors I was using), 3/16" corner rounder, 1" circle punch, Boho Blooms flower punch, Rub-ons (sentiment), Paper piercing tool, Cropadile, Sakura clear glaze & clear stardust pens, flat pearl from Prettie's kit, 1/4" white gg ribbon

Have a great evening : ) !

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I hope all you Moms have a super-duper day that blooms with love!! This is a fun little card we made at my hostess clubs last month along with the flower pot that I showed you earlier this month. My friend and upline, Kim Miller, stopped by one day to show me a couple of bookmark cards that she'd made and they were amazing! She totally inspired me to make one and I decided to share the idea with my hostess girls. You can check out the beautiful and inspiring cards that Kim made right HERE! And the sketch was from Beate's weekend sketch challenge from a few weeks ago...you can check it out right HERE!!

The inside of the card looks like this ~
Here's that same card using stamps instead of DP (and a new color combo too) ~
and the inside of that card~

I love how this project combines a special card with a little surprise gift inside!The finished size is 4 1/4" square, not counting the ribbon from the bookmark that hangs out and adds about another 1 1/4" to the width. You just cut your cardstock 4 1/4 x 10 1/2. Score at 4 1/4 and 8 1/2, then perforate the 8 1/2" score line, so that bookmark can easily be removed. I used the Perforating Blade from the Cutter Kit (which also includes a scoring tool, blade and distressing tool)...and it worked great!!

Incase you haven't entered yet...there's still time to get in the running for some BLOG CANDY ! Thank you (times a million) to those of you who've already entered and left an encouraging message for Megan...I've been reading them to her and she's been totally blessed!!! We returned to Oregon this evening and are awaiting results of lots of tests that were done. Thanks for all the sweet throughts and prayers, they've been a huge source of encouragement to both of us. You can check out that blog candy and all the details on how you can enter right HERE. I'll be picking a random winner on Monday : ) !

Also... wanted to thank Nancy Riley : ) and Phyllis Wittenbach : ) for letting me know that I had a card on Stampers Showcase on Thursday!!! It was great news that I probably would have missed since we were out of town and all. Thanks girls, you totally brightened my day!!!!

Supplies for the first card ~ Stamps: Think Happy Thoughts (dotted circle), Blooming with love (sentiments and flowers on inside of card), One of a kind (punched out flower) Paper: Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Afternoon Tea DP Ink: Chocolate, Guava Accessories: 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle punches, Poly Twill chocolate ribbon, paper piercing tool/mat pack, Cutter Tool, Boho Flower Punch, Pewter Brad

Supplies for the second card ~ Stamps: Think Happy Thoughts (flowers and dotted circle), Twill BG, Blooming with Love (sentiment), One of a Kind (punched flower) Paper: Lavender Lace, Basic Gray, Whisper White Ink: Going Gray, Lavender Lace, Basic Gray Accessories: 1 1/4, 1 3/8 & Scallop Circle punches, Gray Taffeta ribbon, paper piercing tool/mat pack, Cutter Tool, Boho Flower Punch, Silver Brad

Great Big Hugs & Blessings to the Moms : )

Divine Design ~ Bible Verse Challenge

I am so sorry...I had this post scheduled to publish this morning at 8am Pacific time...just got back from Megan's doctor appointment and saw it didn't publish for some reason. I'll have to check and see why not. In anycase, a great big Texas howdy to ya' all....from Houston! It's May 8th and that means it's time to post our Divine Design Projects! I chose Proverbs 3:5-6 this month. After praying about which scripture to focus on this month, I kept coming back to this one. It's one I know well and love. It's taken on new meaning for me in light of my daughter's health issues. I know many of you also experience uncertain and challenging circumstances in your lives. Let's face it, sometimes life just doesn't make sense. For those times (and all the time), we're reminded to trust God with ALL our heart and not to rely on OUR understanding. God has promised to make the path straight. He hasn't promised to share all the details with us on how that will take place. He simply directs us to trust Him. He is worthy of that trust and that's where I'm placing my confidence.

Alrighty then...the other Scripture Chick's are also posting their projects this morning...be sure to mosey on over to their awesome blogs & check it out ~

• Lori Craig ~ Make A Difference
• Angel Wilde ~ Angelosity
• Jami Sibley ~ More isMore
• Taylor Van Bruggen ~ Taylored Expressions

I also make a bookmark for my daughter, Megan, each month. She normally selects her own scripture, but this month, she asked me to chose one for her. Here it is ~Psalm 56:3, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you". It's short, but powerful. The anecdote to fear....is trust in God : ) !!!

Here's a close-up of Elzybells and her sparkly dress and shiny shoes ~

I hope you'll consider playing along with the Divine Design challenge... Click HERE to see all the details for the challenge. You can jump in anytime...and start making a project each month. I print most of my scrptures on the computer, so don't worry if you don't have scripture stamps. I do have some awesome scripture stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs, but sometimes, like this month, I wanted to use a scripture that I don't have a stamp for (yet)...so I just print it. You can upload your project to SCS using the keywords BVC08. There is a HUGE gallery of beee-a-utiful Divine Design projects over at SCS and you can see 'em all right HERE!

There's still time to get your name in the drawing for my blog candy. I'll draw a winner on Monday. Click HERE to see those details from yesterday's post : ) !!!

Supplies for my card~ Stamps (none...I used a computer generated scripture) Paper: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Cutie Pie DP Ink: computer brown Tools/Accessories: Paper snips (to cut the flowers out of the DP), 3/16" corner rounder (to create the scallops), Paper piercing tool/mat pack, 1/2" circle punch, Pewter HPH brads, Sheer brown edged ribbon from Amuse

Supplies for Meg's bookmark~ Stamps: Elzybells girl on swing (Amuse), Computer generated scripture Paper: Real Red, Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Brilliance Graphite, Computer Ink blue Tools/Accessories: Ticket corner punch, Copic Markers, Cosmic Fine glitter in light blue, Sakura Stardust pen in red, Cuttlebug with Rectangle Scallop Nestabilities, Red rhinestone brads, 1/4" gg ribbon in bashful blue & real read, red gingham ribbon

Y'all have a great day now : ) !!!

Lets Celebrate

Wooo-hoooo!!! I still can't quite believe it, but my counter hit 100K last week...it's just so stinkin' exciting to think that there are that many of you stopping by. Thanks for those wonderful comments you leave! I only wish you could see the great big smile you put on my face as I read 'em...thank you from the bottom of my grateful little heart! Oh, and for those of you who don't leave comments {gasp!}...don't be shy...I'd LOVE to hear from you too : ) !!! Today's cards were both made with the SU set, Phrases for a Friend, from the Occasions mini catalog. I love the fun, chunky, funky font!And this second card includes a cute little chick by Imaginisce. Joy, fom Eclectic Paperie gave it to me when I saw her at the Copic Certification Class, along with a couple of adorable little penguin stamps that I'll show you soon. Joy, you are too sweet...thanks SO much!!!!

• Alrighty then...without further adieu.... let's Celebrate You, by giving away some blog candy : ) !!! I looked through my shelf of goodies and here's what I came up with ~

So Many Scallops stamp set (unmounted)

Some 1/4" turquoise grosgrain ribbon

Some 5/8" striped pumpkin grosgrain ribbon

A package of Kaiser turquoise self adhesive rhinestones

Some of my favorite stuff....for one lucky winner! Here's how you enter to win: I'm posting this while getting ready to fly with my daughter to Houston tomorrow, to see a specialist. She's 19 and one of the nicest girls you'd ever meet. Always going out of her way to do something thoughtful for her family/friends...but today, she needs a little cheering up herself. For the past 2 1/2 years, she's gone from the picture of health to facing one health challenge after another. Long story short, she's not doing well, and on top of her physical symptoms, she's pretty discouraged. We're continuing to pray and are ultimately looking for God's help and guidance through this difficult time as well as wisdom and insight from her doctor. Here's where you and the blog candy come in....to be entered in the drawing for the blog candy, just leave a comment under this post including an encouraging message for Megan.... a cheerful thought, favorite scripture or encouraging quote, a joke (laughter is good medicine)...whatever has helped you when you've been through challenging times. I'll let Random.org pick one lucky winner on Monday! And, I'll show Megan your thoughts and comments! I know there are a lot of you who stop by...so be sure to leave a comment and get in the running for that blog candy AND brighten Megan's day : ) !!! One entry per person please.

Coming up later this week...Divine Design on Thursday, the 8th! I have my May projects uploaded to blogger and ready to show you on Thursday, from Houston : ) ! Isn't technology great?

Supplies for the first card~ Stamps: Phrases for a friend Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Regal Rose, Celery, Whisper White, Flowers for You DP Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Celery Accessories: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Turquoise rhinestone brad, Silver brads, 1 1/4", 1 3/8" & Scallop Circle Punch, 3/16" corner rounder for scallops, Cropadile for embossed dots, Sakura clear glaze pen,1/4" certainly celery gg ribbon

Supplies for the chick card~ Stamps: Phrases for a friend, Chick by Imagenisce Paper: Ballet Blue, Pink Passion, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Pink Passion, Bashful Blue, Palette Noir Accessories: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, ticket corner punch, Copic markers (sorry, I forgot to note which colors...I'll be better about that in the future), 1", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" circle punches, Kaiser self adhesive orange rhinestone brad, pink striped Amuse ribbon

Thanks for stopping by & helping me celebrate : )

More Eagle's Wings

More Samples from one of Our Daily Bread Designs new stamp sets...On Eagle's Wings! I thougt it would be fun to show you a variety of different styles. The first one is my favorite style...soft and pretty! I used my 3/16" corner rounder to make the scallops at the bottom of the card (click HERE to see a great tutorial Beate did for SCS on this technique). One of my hostess club gals asked me about this technique and I realized I hadn't done it in a while...often I just reach for my scallop scissors, but the corner rounder gives a slightly different look...a little larger scallop. I like how it looks. It's really easy...if you have the corner rounder, you might want to give it a try. Another fun trick, I used the Cropadile to make the embossed dots on the scallops(click HERE to see a brief tutorial I did on how to use your cropadile to emboss). I took my Sakura clear glaze pen and went over those Cropadile embossed dots to give them a little shine. My Crew Kids Girls Simply Scrappin kit had just the right accent pieces I was looking for...fun DP and a couple of self adhesive die-cut strips. And, I used a 2-way glue pen and some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter around the scripture piece to soften the edges a bit. Plus, this card was just calling out for some glitter, lol : ) ... I haven't used any glitter all week {gasp!} ... that hardly ever happens!

This next card is much bolder with contrasting colors (tempting turquoise, basic black and whisper white) and textures. It features the scripture from Isaiah 40:31! Below the Scripture are 3 black Eyelets with self adhesive turquoise rhinestones placed in the centers...with all the other black framing layers on the card, it seemed like the rhinestones needed a little framing of their own...and the black eyelets worked perfect! This last card is a 2-way open card. Click HERE to hop over to SCS and see the details for this week's technique challenge to make a 2-way open card. I wanted to make a special card for my nephew, Bobby, for Armed Forces Day (coming up on the 17th of this month). Bobby is serving our country in the USAF : ) ! This beautiful Bald Eagle stamp is perfect for patriotic cards. The Eagle also gave me a reason to color with my Copics today...that's always a treat! I used the star stamp from the SU set, "Wanted" and the sentiment, "You're the best" from the SU set, A little birdie told me. So...this next photo is of the card when it's closed~And these next two are of the card opened once, including a photo of Bobby with his folks (aren't they cute?) ... Then, opened twice, where I'll write my greeting.

















Another tool trick I used today was using my Round Tab punch to create the circle frame for the photo. Click HERE to see a tutorial I did on that. Don't you just love learning a trick that shows you more ways to use the tools you already have? I sure do!

That's all for today! Hope you have a Super-Duper Weekend!! : )


Supplies for the Pink Card ~ Stamps: On Eagles Wings Paper: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Crew Kids Girls DP Ink: Regal Rose Tools & Accessories: Cropadile, 3/16" corner rounder, Silver HPH Ribbon pull, 1/4" gg ribbon in celery, white & pink, Self adhesive die-cut strips from the Crew Kids Girls Scrappin kit, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Sakura Clear glaze pen, Small scallop scissors, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Dew Drops


Supplies for the Turquoise Card ~ Stamps: On Eagle's Wings Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black & Whisper White Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black Tools & Accessories: Cuttlebug with embossing folder "textile texture", Cropadile, Black Eyelets, Kaiser self adhesive rhinestones


Supplies for Bobby's card ~ Stamps: On Eagle's Wings (eagle), Wanted (star), A little birdie told me (you're the best) Paper: Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White, non-SU reflective silver Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Real Red & Night of Navy Copics: E34, 37, 55, 57,59, Y08 & 19, C3 Tools & Accessories: Photo Corner punch, 1", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" Circle punches, Small star punch, Round tab punch, Cropadile, Silver brads, Red eyelet, Sakura Clear glitter and glaze pens, red striped 5/8" gg ribbon, non-su star ribbon

2-Way Card

I've fallen behind on this week's SCS challenges. I don't know about you, but sometimes my days just fly by and one minute it's monday, I blink, and the next minute it's friday! So, it's friday and I'm doing Monday's challenge...but it's okay. You can do any of the SCS challenges anytime...no worries : ) !! When I saw this week's "try a new technique" challenge (TLC166) I knew I had to try it! Beth's challenge was to make a 2-way open card. I am so excited about this card style...so many ideas rolling around in my head!! I love the surprise factor...as you open each layer, more is revealed : ) ! This was my first ever 2-way open card and I used my awesome new ODBD stamp set, "On Eagle's Wings". The front panel features the beautiful scripture from Isaiah 40:31.

Then, you open the card once to reveal the Eagle ~

Then, you open the card a second time, to reveal another great scripture from the set, Exodus 19:4

See? Isn't that a fun card style and a great stamp set?? I have a feeling my hostess groups might be seeing a 2-way open card at our next workshop...or next month....hmmm, ya never know!

Kelly from Our Daily Bread Designs is busy working on her next stamp set...and she's been adding new products to her site, including some great new DPs. You can check it all out right HERE : )!!

Supplies for the card ~ Stamps: On Eagle's Wings Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Collage Press "Seeds" DP Ink: Chocoalte Chip Accessories: 1/4" & 1/2" circle punches, Boho flower punch, Pewter brads, Amuse Sheer olive ribbon, Cuttlebug with Nestabilities Scalloped Rectangles

I'll have a couple more "On Eagles Wings" projects to show you in the next couple of days...stay tuned!! Blog candy coming next week too!!! Have an AWESOME Day : ) !