March Divine Design

It's the 9th and that means it's time to post our monthly Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge projects! I made my monthly bookmark and used Psalm 25:5 ~ Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. I love this passage. It's my prayer. And thanks to the bookmark, I'll be focusing on this scripture and memorizing it this month. Are YOU playing along with the challenge? If you are....great! If not, you can join anytime. The rules are simple and you can find them right HERE. And remember to use the keyword BVC09 when you upload to the SCS gallery!

Need some inspiration? Here's a link to the other Scripture Chicks and their amazing March projects ~

Angel Wilde: Angelosity
Lori Craig: Make a Difference
Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions
Jami Bova: Stamp Happy

I wanted to apologize for not leaving more comments in the BVC09 (Divine Design) gallery & thread over at SCS. My schedule these past 3 months has been just crazy. After being gone for 2 months, we've had company for 2 of the last 3 weeks. It appears that things are getting back to normal around our house (except for me having the flu this weekend) ... so I look forward to checking out the BVC09 gallery this week! Can't wait to see what YOU've created :) !!!

Miss Chloe came to visit last week. She loves bath time. I took this picture of her enjoying a bath in my kitchen sink. Our little miracle baby! And...I wanted to share some news with you. I've decided to return to school! As of March 30th, I'll be a full time college student. My intended major is nursing, but I'm leaving a few other options open. God's been tugging at my heart for a while and I knew some changes were coming. I'm really excited for this new opportunity to work toward my bachelor degree. I hope to take that degree into the mission field one day. I'll continue with Divine Design (of course!) and look forward to stamping and posting when I have free time. I'll also be continuing as an SU demo, but for now, won't be doing any design work so that I can focus my attention on my studies.

I'm taking part in Our Daily Bread Design's Anniversary Celebration this week. My "official" post will be on Wednesday but I wanted to give you a little sneak peek today. I was on Kelley's original Design Team when she kicked things off one year ago...and the first set she released was Light of the World ...and that's the stamp set I used for today's card. It's still one of my favs! You can check out the fun at these blogs, beginning tomorrow ~

March 10: Amy & Angel

March 11: Holly &Lorelie & Nancy
March 12: Angella & Chris
March 13: Betty & Dina
March 14:Jane & Judy
March 15: Angie & Sita

March 16: Becca & Laurie

Thanks for stopping by. See you back on Wednesday for some ODBD Anniversary Fun :) !!!

Supplies for the bookmark (size 6 x 3) ~ Stamps: none, computer generated scripture Paper: Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Tea Party DP Ink: Computer pink Tools/Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, 1", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle punches, Boho Blossoms punch, Saffron Button, White floss, 1/4" Saffron gg ribbon

Supplies for the card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Light of The World Paper: Tea party DP, Regal Rose, Neenah White Ink: Elegant Eggplant Tools/Accessories: 5/8" Regal Rose gg ribbon, Celery button, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Dimensionals

Hoot Hoot Hooray!

...and Happy Birthday! Man, I am totally LOVING this Owl Together Now set from SU !! You know how it is when you see a stamp set in a catalog or online and instantly love it? Well this set was love at first sight for me and since inking it up, I think I love it even more. It's been especially great for quick, easy cards. I made this card for Jeani, who celebrated her birthday last week. Hey Jeani...hope your day was super happy :) !

I used some of my gorgeous new SU Specialty Designer Paper, Parisian Breeze . It's textured and cover weight cardstock, so it worked great as a base for my card. I used the Happy Birthday sentiment from my All Holidays set. And of course, I colored the owl and branch with my Copic Markers!

Here's a peek at the inside ~

Hey, I have the pleasure of helping Our Daily Bread Designs celebrate their one-year Anniversary next week! Here's some of the fun things you can look forward to checking out:

Each day March 10-16 the Design Team members will be posting fun stuff on their blogs and will be giving away Blog Candy! We will be giving away a set a day! But you will have to visit each one to see where it is! And who wouldn't love a tutorial on Scor-Pal, 3D boxes, Polyshrink, Glimmer Mist and Shimmerz? We will have all that and more!
March 10: Amy & Angel

March 11: Holly &Lorelie & Nancy
March 12: Angella & Chris
March 13: Betty & Dina
March 14:Jane & Judy
March 15: Angie & Sita

March 16: Becca & Laurie

That's about it for today. Thanks for stopping by & I hope you have a great day!! Next post will be Monday... my monthly Divine Design Bookmark project. See you then :) !!

Supplies for today's card (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Owl Together Now & All Holidays Paper: Pariasian Breeze Specialty DP, Chocolate Chip, Neenah White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot, Chocolate Chip Accessories: Copic Markers, Crystal Effects, Scallop Edge Punch, 1/4" brown grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, dimensionals, pewter brads

who-la-la

I fell in love with these owls the first time
I open the Spring Summer SU Idea Book & Catalog. It's called Owl Together now. I finally got to ink it up last week and had so much fun making this anniversary card. I used Copic Markers for coloring, Sparkly Pink Fluff on the hearts (coming soon from OCL!) and my brand new, To The Nines, textured DP. Those owl eyes are covered in Crystal Effects, which totally gives them that googly eye effect ;) ! You can double click on the photo to get a closer look at the details.

I also made a birthday card with this set...I'll show that to you later this week :) !

Here's the inside ~ I used the Hugs & Wishes set for the sentiment. It's one of my "most reached for" sentiment sets!...

Supplies used~ (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2) ~ Stamps: Owl Together Now, Hugs & Wishes Paper: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Neenah White, To the Nines DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot Accessories: Copic Markers, Scallop Edge Punch, Pink Sparkly Fluff, Crystal Effects, Brown satin ribbon, Pink Taffeta ribbon

Thanks for stopping by :) ... Enjoy your day!!!

Happy Birthday Katie

Super quick post to show you one of 3 cards I made last week. This one was for my daughter (Katie's) birthday! She loves dragons and she's very musical, so I combined 2 of OCL's super fun new sets, Drake the Dragon and Star Rocks. I also used some pink sparkle fluff on the dragon's wings...coming soon to Our Craft Lounge!!

Katie & her family have been visiting so I still haven't had much stamping time, but I'm having such a fun time with the baby :) ! Here's a picture of Miss Chloe. She's almost 3 months old and nearly 9 pounds. Such a sweet, sweet girl! Doesn't she look happy?

and here's a close-up of that dragon :) ~and the inside ... with a gift card tucked inside ~ and a close-up of the inside dragon image :) ~

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm off to enjoy a little more family time :) !!!

Happy Birthday Trenton

We've had company all week, but I did manage find an hour to sneak into my stamping room and make this birthday card :) ! In the process, I think I discovered the most challenging type of card for me to create is one for a teenage boy. Maybe it's because I raised 2 girls...the whole boy thing is still a little confusing, lol! This card will have a little money inside, so that should help, and it will be attached to several boxes of candy, so that won't hurt either ;) ! Happy Birthday Trenton, hope your day is extra special!! Does anyone have suggestions on stamps or projects that are good for teen boy? Please feel free to share your ideas with me! I could really use some help in that area. Here are a few of the punches and the coordinating Polka Dot Punches (free!) stamp set that I used ~

The card features Pacific Point Blue & Kiwi Kiss cardstock. Love those colors together. I pulled out the sentiment from the All Holidays SU set. The 1 3/4" Circle was stamped with my free SAB set, Polka Dot Punch (pictured above) and layered up with several other circle punches and topped off with a Small Star punch. A little Striped Kiwi Kiss Grosgrain Ribbon, paper piercing and Silver Brad were the finishing touches. Finished size for my card is 4 1/4 square (my favorite!). I used Black Stazon ink for the senitment and Pacific Blue Classic Ink for the Polka Dot Punch Image.

Many of you are familiar with Sale-a-bration (SAB) ... but incase you're not, it's Stampin Up's biggest promotion of the year! There are lots of products that I wait to purchase until it's time for their "free gift with purchase" , like Clinique. That's kind of what SAB is like. For every $50 in merchandise you order, you get to choose a FREE stamp set or product from the SAB brochure...and there's no limit! Right now you can also get a FREE Spring Summer Idea Book & Catalog ($9.95 value) just for placing an order of any amount on-line. For more details on those promotions, just click HERE (or on any of the colored links above). And remember, YOU always get the LOWEST price on-line, just by specifying a demonstrator (hopefully me!). And... if you're ever thought about joing SU as a demo, either as a business or just to enjoy the discount on your personal orders, there are extra bonuses for joining now. I joined 2 years ago during SAB and it's been such a great opportunity for me. I know, I know, you probably think there's a catch, but if there is, I haven't found it yet. It's genuinely been a great deal for me. My hobby now pays for itself :) !!!! If you have any questions about any of the current promotions or products, please feel free to email me anytime at youcanstamp@hotmail.com :) !

I have a TON of un-inked stamps and gorgeous new DPs calling to me from my workbench. Hopefully I'll find a little creative time and will be back to share some projects and ideas with you soon.

Thanks for stopping by :) ... have a great weekend!!

Blog Candy Winner!

Wow! It was so fun reading your comments...I can tell you are as excited as I am about the new OCL stamps :) !! I hope you all enjoyed a fun Valentines Day! I had my son-in-law pick a random winner (thanks Ryan), for the Ducky Days set, and the lucky duck is...(drum roll please) ...

The Crafty Den said...
Hi Nancy, thanks for the chance to win this gorgeous stamp set. I love all the new sets but if I had to pick one it would be Kit the Kat. Have a great weekend. Hugs, Denise x

Congratulations Denise :) !!! Just email me (youcanstamp@hotmail.com) with your mailing address, and the OCL girls will get that Ducky Days set mailed out to you!

And...incase anyone hasn't seen that Kit the Kat set Denise picked as her fav, you can check it out right HERE. It's one of my favorites too!!

Chloe is really excited about the new OCL stamps and wanted to extend her congrats to Denise :) !!! The Valentine card pictured above is a super quick, simple one I made for Chloe and her mommy & daddy. It features one of my favorite OCL sets, Anna Mae. Not only do I adore that sweet little Anna Mae image, I also appreciate how versatile the set is. It's one I'll reach for all year. She's colored with Copics, Shined up with a Sakura clear glaze pen and matted with a Long Rectangle Scalloped Nestie.

And then there's Muffin......who doen'st know quite what to think of Chloe or the stamps. She got all dressed up for Valentine's day and even had her nails painted RED (by Megan)...but still, everyone seemed to be paying more attention to the baby. She's a little bit of a drama queen...you can see the sad eyes in the picture, but I assure you, she's still getting tons of love & attention :) !

Thanks for stopping by...and thanks again for playing along with the OCL give-away weekend! I'll be back to some sort of regular stamping/posting schedule soon...but for now, I'm off the enjoy some family time :) !!!

Blog Candy Friday!

Tomorrow's Valentine's Day...so how about a sweet treat? Yay, it's time for Blog Candy! A chance to win a brand spankin' new Ducky Days stamp set from Our Craft Lounge :) !!! And there's more. OCL is celebrating their Winter CHA Release by giving away a total of 28 sets this weekend! It's my pleasure to give away the Ducky Days set, and you can see it, along with the other 27 new sets, right HERE! Both of today's cards were made with the Ducky Days set. My favorite thing about this set are those rubber boots! Love 'em!! I colored the Duck's boots red with Copic R37, the covered them with Crystal Effects, so they're super-duper shiny. I added Crystal Effects to the boots on the 2nd card too.

So... you're probably wondering how you can get signed up for that blog candy. To sign up for my blog candy, just leave a comment on this post telling me which of the new releases is your favorite & why (one comment per person please). You can find 'em all right HERE. I'll pick a random winner on Sunday at noon (pacific time). And...to get signed up for the other sets to be given away, just pop over the CAMI's blog (stamp a little love baby!). She's got some fun up her little pink sleeve....something about a Surprise Hunt? You'd better check it out :) !

I'm looking forward to reading your comments. I'm going to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day today, because I have family coming to visit this weekend, so I won't be posting again until Sunday...when I pick that winner! Have yourself a wonderful weekend,thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies for today's cards (size 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and 4 1/4 square): Stamps: Ducky Days (OCL) Paper: Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss & Chocolate Chip and Neenah White cardstock, My Mind's Eye DP Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Copic Markers, Sakura Clear Glaze Pen, Crystal Effects (SU), Ruby Red Brads, 3/4", 1", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" SU Circle Punches, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" SU Squre punches, Rectangle Nesties, Baja Breeze Button

*Stampn Up products can be found online HERE

* Copic Markers, My Mind's Eye DP & Ranger Distressed Soot ink can all be found at Eclectic Paperie's online store, HERE

Shhh...an early Valentine card

Quick post to show you the Valentine card I made for my wonderful husband :) ! Now I have to hide so he doesn't find it before Saturday. It's hard to be sneaky, he always seems to see whatever I'm working on. We got a bulldog puppy last August and, in the beginning, she was supposed to be for me & my daughter. But Bogue has absolutely fallen in love with that little dog. It's so sweet to see them together. I thought it only fitting that I make his Valentine with this new stamp set from The Greeting Farm, Pup Star. I also used my new SU Eyelet Border Punch..love that thing!!

Happy Valentine's Day (a little early) from Muffin!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to get signed up for BLOG CANDY!

Supplies for the card (4 1/4 square): Stamps: Pup Star (The Greeting Farm) Paper: Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Candy Lane (SU) DP & White Ink: Ranger Distressed Black Soot & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch (SU), Small & Large Oval Punches, Paper Piercing Tool/Mat pack, Heart brad (non su), Copic Markers & Sakura Clear Glaze pen

Simple Love & Gratitude

Simple seems to be my theme lately. I made this card last week before coming home. It was for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday!! I was a little worried that it was too simple. My supplies were pretty limited, but I think it turned out okay. And the most important part...Ruthie loved it and it made her smile :) !

The heart is covered in Crystal Effects so it's shiny and the Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon sparkles because I colored it with a Clear Spica Glitter pen. Both of those details are hard to see in this photo (sorry). I used the new SU set, Love You Much along with the coordinating Three Hearts punch. Finished size is 4 1/4 square (my favorite size). I used Riding Hood Red, Basic Black & White cardstock. Dimensionals added dimension to my card, lol!

An another simple card made with the same supplies, but this one was a thank you note for a very special friend :) ... you can see the Crystal Effects on the heart and birds a little better in this photo ~

Good news ~ I'll have BLOG CANDY on Friday !!! Thanks for stopping by & be sure to stop by Friday, check out the goodies & get yourself signed up :) !

Divine Design Feb 09

After 8 weeks of being gone ... I'm finally home! Chloe is doing really, really well! I thank God everyday for that sweet little girl and for her amazing recovery. What an experience. Thanks again to everyone who prayed and shared kind words of encouragment with us. You were part of the miracle :) !!! I arrived home yesterday & was greeted by my wiggling bulldog and smiling husband. After being gone for so long, I wanted to spend some time with the hubby, so I kept my project very simple. I used my beautiful new stamp set from ODBD called Lift Up Our Hands, to make my bookmark...it features the scripture Hebrews 4:16. I found another translation (NCV) that I really liked and thought you might enjoy it too

"Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it"

I use www.biblegateway.com to reference different translations sometimes. It's a nice resource. This Divine Design Bible verse Challenge is a wonderful way to combine Scripture and Stamping. I create a bookmark each month that helps me memorize and meditate on a particular scripture. I hope you'll consider joining us in this monthly challenge. You can get started anytime, just jump in when you can :) ! The simple rules can be found right HERE! And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me, anytime ~ youcanstamp@hotmail.com.

And, here are links to the other Scripture Chicks so you can check out their fabulous projects ~ Lori Craig: Make a Difference, Taylor VanBruggen: Taylored Expressions , Angel Wilde: Angelosity, Jami Bova: Stamp Happy

Have you seen this new Divine Design blog badge? It was designed by our very own Jami Bova : ) ! If you play along with the DD challenge, this badge is for YOU! To add it to your blog, just follow Jami's perfectly wonderful directions:

1. Copy everything between the /* and */ 2. Paste the HTML code onto your blog. (for Blogger, you'll add an HTML gadget and paste this code)

/* http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408999" target="blank"> http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff2/jbova/DivineDesign2009.png" border="0" alt="Divine Design 2009"> */

Thanks for stopping by! I'll leave you with a fun little picture of Chloe enjoying her new swing. She looks pretty happy... hope you have a happy day too :) !

Supplies used for my bookmark (size 3 x 5 1/2") ~ Stamps: Lift Up Our Hands (ODBD) Paper: Kiwi Kiss (textured), Chocolate Chip & White Ink: Kiwi Kiss & Chocolate Chip Tools/Accessories: 1" & 3/4" Circle punches, Silver Filigree Flower Brad (SU), Silver brads

Smiles

What could possibly keep me away from stamping for 6 weeks??? This picture pretty much says it all. Chloe is simply amazing. She is such a fighter. Heart surgery at 5 days old, Omphalocele surgery at 5 weeks old...and at 6 1/2 weeks old, a healthy, happy little baby back at home! Katie took these pictures of Chloe & I this weekend and I think they're going to be favorites :) ! I will be heading home later this week & I do promise to start showing you stamping projects again. Lots of ideas and a bunch of brand new stamps waiting for me at home...but for now, I'm just going to enjoy these last few days with Chloe and a few days with my husband who's coming to visit too! I do miss my stamping, but this family time has been precious! To thank you for your patience while I've been away...there will be BLOG CANDY coming up soon...so be sure to check back :) !!!

Here's me & Chloe again. I had so many people tell me that being a grandma was going to be very special, but oh my goodness, I had no idea it could be this good. Couldn't be any better.

Thanks for stopping by! Have an awesome week :) !!!

Lovebug, Chloe, Tags & Awards

Isn't this little bug adorable? It's from the Love Bug Set, by OCL. Here's the inside~ Perfect for Valentine's Day, or anytime you want send a "just bugcause" card. Those just because cards are fun to send (and receive!). That awesome DP is from My Mind's Eye, Just Dreamy 2 collection. That paper comes in so many super fun designs...you can check 'em out right HERE!

Thanks again for all your prayers for my granddaughter Chloe :) ! This picture of Katie & Chloe was taken the day before her surgery.The last couple days were pretty rough, but she's doing much better now. Got her breathing tube out this evening and is resting peacefully. She's still got some recovery to do, but she's getting better and stronger each day... thanks to those prayers! And a special thanks to Jackie who works here at the OHSU campus. She emailed me to offer her help if we needed anything. What a sweetheart! Stampers really are the nicest people in the world :) ! Which leads me to my next thought...

Many thanks to Sherri, Chris & Teresa for the blog awards and tag. These girls have GREAT blogs that I'm absolutely sure you'll enjoy visiting... I sure did! Each blog is overflowing with fun and inspiring projects. Here are those awards ~

I've been tagged by Sherri at Roses in My Heart, to tell you 5 things I'm addicted to and 5 things I really, really don't like.

I'm addicted to: 1) Kind people 2) Coffee 3) My new granddaughter, Chloe 4) Store bought cake 5) Copic markers

I really, really don't like: 1) Liver ...blech! 2) Slow internet connections 3) Waking up and not having fast, easy access to coffee 4) Being idle, sitting still with nothing to do 5) Disorganization

Next, a butterfly award from

Chris at Twinkles Glow with Stamps

And last, but not least...

Teresa, at My Life's Art , gave me this Lovely Blog Award~

I am running out of time, space and energy, so I'll have to pass these awards on in my next post. It's late and I'm getting soooo sleepy (must be Chloe's heart monitor, it's so steady and rythmic, it's lulling me right to sleep!). Thanks for stopping by :)

To Have & to Hold Scrapbook pages

A couple more scrapbook pages to show you! This time featuring my daughter's wedding which was held on New Year's eve 2 years ago. I used the SU set, To Have & To Hold and some retired River Rock DP & Cardstock along with classic black and white cardstock. The ceremony & reception were held in a historic ballroom. I chose these colors, papers and stamps hoping they would reflect a bit of that charm.

You can double click on the first 2 photos to get a closer look at some of the shimmery detail. I used my Clear, Gold & Black Spica Glitter Pens to add a touch of shimmering elegance :) . I even used the Clear Spica on the black grosgrain and white taffeta ribbons so they sparkle too. I also used Kaiser self-adhesive pearls and a Martha Stewart Edge punch. I like using the self-adhesive pearls, because they're inexpensive plus you get 3 different sizes...so you always have just the right size! My pages today were both 8x8" size.

Incase you haven't heard...the new Spring Summer SU catalog is out and there are some super fun new stamps, papers and accessories! So far, my favorite new stamp set is Owl Together Now :) and you can see it right HERE. Isn't that just too cute? I'm being patient and trying to wait till Feb 1st to order it, so I can get some free SAB goodies. If you don't have a copy of the catalog yet, you can always check it out online right HERE or if you'd like your own copy, you can get one FREE, just by placing an order online, Feb 1st-April 30th. It's SU's way of saying thank you! Sale-a-bration is coming right up on Feb 1st. Another way to get free goodies just for placing an order! Whoo-hoo :) !!!

This will be my last post for a few days. After being back in Corvallis for 2 days, we're headed back to Portland tomorrow to take little Miss Chloe to the hospital for her next surgery on Thursday. I'll try to share updates when I can. Thank you so much for stopping by :) ... have a great week!

Barnyard fun

It's time for a little Barnyard Fun with the McSplendid Farm set from The Greeting Farm! This set also includes the most adorable horse, cow and cat. My card is super simple, but it was really fun to make! It's one of those cards that just makes ya smile :) ! Here's a photo that shows how I popped up the ears, nose & wing on dimensionals.I used a fat Copic Marker (YG03) to make the grass...super easy!

We're back in Portland. Made an unplanned trip after Chloe developed a little infection, so she's been admitted for iv antibiotics. The plan is for her to go back home in a day or 2, then come back Wednesday to be admitted for her next surgery. I had this grand plan of stamping yesterday afternoon, had several images all stamped & ready to color and put on cards, but when we woke up and discovered the infection, those stamping plans got put on hold. One look at that sweet little face, and as much as I was looking forward to stamping, she was instantly forgiven. Here's a picutre of her just after the iv was started...she was not a real happy camper, but in true Chloe style, she perked up really fast and was her cheerful self in a matter of minutes. She is such a trooper!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your sweet comments and the prayers. Chloe is 4 weeks old and a whopping 6 pounds 10 ounces. She's made amazing progress and I truly believe that is an answer to all our prayers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Okay... I'm off to search for a strong cup of coffee :) to make up for sleeping in a hospital chair/bed! Nothing a little caffeine won't fix, lol! Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your weekend!!!