Sunflowers in my dreams

While the title of my blog might be 'roses by my window' with winter in full bloom instead, floral scenes are hard to find. I've not only been craving spinach in my diet, I've been craving green things outside my window. The first one is easier to fulfill with a short trip to the grocery store. The second wish can only be realized in my dreams so I've been dreaming of sunflowers. I also had half of the stained glass sunflower panel I made a week ago and didn't want it to go to waste. A dear friend sent me some stamped images and I came across sunflower Tilda . . . so it was a great match for the sunflowers.

There is a sweet challenge on the Just Magnolia blog this week to use hearts and flowers. I made my own 'sunflowers' to match the card's theme and have tiny punched out hearts in the margin of one of the green panels. I wanted this card to fit an A2 envelope; Tilda loves big square cards but the post office does not. :) I might have overdone it on the yellow and green but it helped soothe my longing for Spring! Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Tilda image from a friend, Northwoods sunflowers
Paper: PTI lemon, white, SU gable green, summer sunrise and saffron, assorted DP, acetate
Ink: summer sunrise and mustard
Other: lace from Flourishes, polka dot ribbon from PTI, PTI black vintage buttons, kohinoor pencils, prismas, gamsol, Martha Stewart border punch (hearts), Martha Stewart daisy punch, nestability, cinnamon stickles, Martha Stewart glitter, AI dries clear glue, glue dots

Big Doggie Kiss!

Happy Sunday Stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. This week's hostess is the lovely and talented Helen (Bo Belen) who selected this verse from Matthew 18:4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." The challenge is to make a card with an image of a child or childlike things on it (such as a card with toys or a saying about children, but not a baby card.) Check out the main page on Stampin' Sisters in Christ to read Helen's thoughts about the verse she selected.

Our sponsor this week is Mo's Digital Pencil. I chose a Mo's image for my card, a freebie listed on Mo's group on Papercraft Planet when the group reached 800 members. This image is 'Bella Hearts Bronte.' I have raised three little girls and they all create the same way when they are young. There are scraps of paper all over the floor, crayons everywhere and any kind of bits of lace and hearts they can find. Bella secretly wishes that big button was a piece of candy because it sure looks it should be one, its so shiny and sparkly! And little kids looooooove their doggies. So Bella is busy creating a Valentine to show Bronte how much she loooooves him and this is what she's come up with so far.

Hope you're able to join us this week and show us your creation based on Matthew 18:4. Thanks for looking. And if you post your creation in a gallery instead of a blog, be sure to label it SSIC24.
Images: Mo's Digital Pencil, sentiment from Papertrey Everyday Button Bits
Paper: Kraft, red, pink pirouette, white; hearts cut from PTI DP
Ink: Black
Other: Martha STewart edge punch, red ribbon, PTI button, Kohinoor and Prismacolor pencils with gamsol, spica silver gel pen, fiskars edge punch, cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder

Papertrey Valentines

Although I'm a chocolate fan from waaaay back I can hold my own with vanilla too, especially if it has thick frosting. What is it we all like so much about cupcakes? All the indulgence of a full cake but in a mini, single serving portion . . . if we don't look at calorie count!

My cupcakes are (ask my friend Lori) gluten free of course! Which is the delightful thing about paper cupcakes, they can be gluten free, dairy free, anything free and as qualifying eye candy, they also are calorie free! This is a batch of vanilla cupcakes I made for a Valentine swap with some friends and also the exchange on the PTI forum. Enjoy a cupcake yourself this week if you can.

Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Tiny Treats: Valentine and Background Basics: Hearts
Ink: SU Pink Pirouette, Rose, Black stazon
Paper: PTI vanilla, random DP
Other: Martha Stewart chunky glitter, copic markers, sponge, organdy ribbon in pink and vanilla

Imperishable Seed . . . SSIC #23

Happy Sunday stampers! Its time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. This week it is my turn to play hostess and I selected this verse from 1 Peter 1:23 (NIV) "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable , through the living and enduring word of God." For this challenge, since most seeds come up as tiny green shoots, use the color green somewhere in your creation, not all over green, monochrome, but some green somewhere.

I selected this verse a while ago and my thoughts about its impact keep shifting, especially in light of recent world events. I like the image of the seed. A seed is like a promise in a wrapper, a hope that given a bit of sunlight, earth and water will burst forth into new life. The seed itself has to die before it can become a plant or a tree, and in the same way, we have to die to ourselves before we can find new life in Christ. But when we do, that new life can be as green and abundant as the most lush forest or verdant grassland you've ever pictured.

This earth though, contains nothing but perishable seed. Living in an area with all four seasons, my family can see the plants start from tiny seeds, flourish, blossom and then wither and die when winter comes. But on a larger scale, plants are not the only created thing that withers and dies. Buildings can crumble, governments topple and thousands of lives can change in an instant, or be lost entirely, in the blink of an eye.

What can we hold onto when our foundations are shaken? I can think of only one thing--Jesus Christ. He is the imperishable seed. Through faith in Jesus Christ we have a hope beyond this world, we have the promise of eternal life through Him. Find and take hold of that imperishable seed and don't let it go.

This card uses a Northwoods stamp and the glitter technique again. I cannot seem to put my glitter down. I stamped the image on acetate with black memento ink, let it dry and then used four shades of green, a yellow, orange and brown for the image. I did paint the background behind it with a light blue, although you can't really see it once the acetate covers it. Next time I'll use a more intense shade.

I stamped the image also on PTI spring moss in Stazon Timber brown and the used just a portion of the glittered panel in a variation of the spotlight technique. I used images from PTI's guidelines one set on the blue background and a sentiment from Everyday Button Bits. This card is for my son's friend, who has been in and out of the hospital with a serious condition for months. Thanks for looking.

Glittery PTI

Today I learned that blogger only lets you upload five photos and I had six cards to share, so I paired them up to take pictures. I have talked about the glitter window technique and wondered how it would look with the little tiny treats stamps from Papertrey Ink. There also was a discussion on the boards about glitter explosions (I have a friend who has to avoid those) and I thought about a way to make a glitter card, glitter free.

What I dod for these was stamp the images on acetate then punch them out using a 1 3/8" circle punch. After I stamped the surrounding frame I punched a 1 1/4" circle in the center of the cardstock, then glued my glittered image, glitter side down into the hole. Then I glued a white circle of cardstock behind the glittered circle so the image would be framed in white and also, it captures the glitter because the entire thing is glued inside . . . if that makes sense. I had fun pairing up papers and embellishments with these. Thanks for looking.

Stamps: PTI Tiny Treats, Polka Dots or Hearts backgrounds

As for me and my house . . .

Happy Sunday stampers! I am on the fly as I prepost this (on Friday) trying to get ready to go out of town with the hubby and youngest child. I do love the verse that Candace chose for this week's challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ, from Joshua 24:15, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

For this challenge you are to create a card or project focused on the home, such as a housewarming card, or decor. I have a card here that has a house on it . . .:) And it uses some of favorite homey touches, lace, gingham, blues and reds, a button, some stickles.

What does that verse mean to you? Are you following that verse in your heart and in your home? Not perfectly, because no one is perfect, but are you reading your bible together? Attending a local church regularly? Reaching out to serve the poor and needy when you can? Building your relationship with the Lord? I really hope so and if not, what better day than today to make that a goal for the rest of the year?

Thanks for looking and hope you get a chance to play along this week!

Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 21

Happy Sunday stampers! This week's hostess at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is Pamela and our sponsor again is Simon Says Stamp. Great storefront, I've always had excellent service from them. One lucky winner this week will win a lovely wedding stamp set as pictured on the main SSIC blog. Hmm, I have a daughter getting married . . . could come in handy!

Pamela's chosen verse this week is Hosea 6:1 "Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds." The challenge is to make the broken look beautiful . . . create a mosaic, or tear apart and stitch back teogether. In some way, have your image look broken.

There was a great tutorial for a mosaic technique on Splitcoast Stampers a few weeks ago. For myself, I have chosen to do the cracked glass technique. It is a favorite of mine. And I found this lovely sketch on the Taylored Expressions blog, its her sketch challenge for the week, #97.

Hosea is such an interesting, sometimes confusing but always beautiful book of the bible filled with a message of hope. We are represented in Hosea's wife who keeps on sinning and yet each time, the Lord takes us back. If you haven't been into Hosea lately, spend some time there. I read a wonderful book by Francine Rivers based on Hosea called Redeeming Love. If you want a really good read (and we're deep in snow, so what better activity for a snowy weekend afternoon than either stamping, or curling up with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book?), pick this one up and make sure you have some tissue handy.

I can't tell you how often I mess up in my walk and feel like a cracked vessel. The Lord is calling to each of us, every day. No matter what you have done, no matter what you might be tempted to do in the future, God's mercy and love never fails. The blood of Jesus Christ can wash away your sins and take that cracked image you might see in the mirror and make it whole again. He has done that for me and He can do that for you. Ask any one of us on the design team and we'd be happy to pray with you or tell you our own personal story of God's redeeming love. Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Inkadinkado bird

Ink: Tim Holtz vintage photo, weathered wood

Paper: Bo Bunny, SU Pomegranate, PTI Ocean Tides

Other: versamark pad, clear EP (I applied six layers), sponge, ribbon, PTI scarlet jewel button, Martha Stewart branch punch and chunky glitter, petite scallop circle nestability, Fiskars corner punch

Abandon all taste ye who enter here . . .

Okay, maybe its not quite that bad, but the word that strikes me when I look at this card I made is . . . garish.

I think I need to lay off the gold glitter embossing powder for a while. Amazing how glitter works either for you or against you . . . I have a card in mind using these stamps in softer tones and I'll try that when I have time. The last card that I made using glitter in the post before this one turned out with a subtle shimmer which was what I wanted. (please look at that card, I like that one!) Perhaps it is the reflective DP . . . hmmmm. Anyway, I was anxious to enter a cool sketch challenge on the KL blog here. She is giving away a nice prize! And I wasn't sure I'd have time to stamp again before tomorrow, so here is my entry. Thanks for looking. You can take off your shades now.

Stamps: Crafty Secrets, Rubber Stamp Tapestry (sentiment)

Martha Stewart punch, randomly assorted and ill-begotten DP, pearls and buttons which would have been happier on another project.

Butterfly sympathy

What can you say about sympathy cards? They're hard to make, at least for me. I tried to lighten this one up a bit by using the DP that is a light shade of gray/blue with white.

The butterfly is from an old SU set, Ageless Adornment. I really like the images it contains. You'll notice that my butterfly faces the opposite direction of the stamp when you use it on paper. I chose the stained glass technique for this so the image is in reverse, because once you stamp it on acetate, you apply the glitter (one color at a time) on the side of the acetate where you have ink. Then when you mount it on your card you flip it, so the glitter won't rub off. I used seven different shades of glitter on this image although it is hard to tell in the photo, you can see variation in color in person. All shades of blue and gray and black. The sentiment is from Clear Dollar Stamps Christian Sympathy set. The backing paper is silver, not gray, but a light silver so it has a bit of a shimmer to it. Thanks for looking.

Stamin' Sisters in Christ challenge 20

Happy Sunday stampers! This is a new week in a new year and time for a new challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. Our hostess this week is the lovely Laurie who chose the verse

2 Cor 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

The challenge is to make a card for a new baby or a new Christian. A few members of the design team challenged each other to make both types of cards, so I selected this free digi image from the Sew Many Cards web site (our sponsor this week).

I think this fish in an ornament is so cute! I used it first for the new baby card . . . I don't know anyone right now who is pregnant, but I'll have this in my stash if anyone receives the gift of a baby girl!

And for my new Christian card, I chose a piece of cuttlebug embossed paper sent to me ages ago by my dear friend Misti, which is loaded with variations on 'congratulations.' I put the phrase, 'the best is yet to be' because when you start walking with the Lord, amazing things happen. And the image? Well, Jesus told us we'd be fishers of men!

For the baby card I covered the bubbles with crystal effects and in the second card covered the entire clear 'glass' ornament with crystal effects and sprinkled some Martha Stewart blue glitter on the bottom before it dried, so it kind of looks like a shaker, maybe?

I do think that's a great verse to start off the new year. It doesn't matter what is in the past in terms of who we can be in the future. In Christ, all things are possible and He makes all things new, including you! Have a great week, hope you can play along.