Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 91...to a "T"

Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ! Our hostess this week is the talented Kristine Breach, who developed this sketch for us to follow this week. She selected this verse from Ecclesiastes 3:14 "I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him." Her challenge is for you to follow the sketch to a "T" - not adding anything to it, or taking anything away from it.

You can read her thoughts here on the home page and see the creations by the rest of the design team. You don't want to miss them, we get a preview in the gallery we set up off site to prepare for the week's post and they are gorgeous! Our sponsor is Sweet n' Sassy stamps, details on the home page for the prize you could win this week for participating.

I have to apologize to all my blogging buddies, we have had two college graduations, my youngest is ending third grade and my oldest is getting married next Saturday, so I have not been visiting other's blogs, there is just not enough time in the day and most of these things require long driving trips out of state, so then you're pretty much out of commission in terms of computer time! I am probably going to be absent yet for a while as I leave on Tuesday for the wedding and the week after we return we have company coming back up to our home to visit for a week's time. I really look forward to getting back to the blogging world to see all of your beautiful things, I gather so much inspiration from my talented friends!

I find a lot of comfort in the verse Kris selected and look forward to reading her thoughts.

For my card this week I am giving a peek of a new set that will be released in June from Mark's Finest Papers. I was in a poppy mood and have been playing with that set more than I can tell you. I have had a great need for sympathy cards lately which always make me sad to create. This one wasn't so bad, it is for a friend whose 96 year old grandmother passed away, and while her family will miss her, I know when my husband's grandmother passed away at that age, she was so ready to go home! So I don't think the reds and the ribbon are too much in this instance.



One thing I did was use the smallest poppy in the set to stamp tone on tone on the red layer, I have a bit of a closeup here, but I"m not sure you can see it. I like the effect it created.

Thanks for looking, have a great holiday weekend and wishing you all a good week!

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers Poppies, Poppies, Poppies (June release sneak peek), Flourishes and Frame, sentiment stamp and retired SU floral background stamp
Ink: Ranger distress ink vintage photo and antique linen, black, white craft, versamark
Papers: MFP red, cream, deep brown, kraft, random DP
Other: brown satin ribbon, gingham in red and black, wire swirly thing, MS edge punch, white EP, prismacolor pencils, nestabilities, edging scissors (fiskars)

Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 90 . . . tongues of silver

Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. This week's hostess is the amazingly talented Grace, who has selected this verse from Proverbs 10:20-21 "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver, the heart of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of understanding." Her challenge is to create a card or project that encourages and to use a touch of silver.

Our sponsor this week is My Favorite Things and one player this week will have a chance to be selected by that random number generator thingamabob and win a $25 gift certificate to MFT.

The tongue is such a powerful tool or weapon depending on how we use it. Funny Grace should choose this verse when in a sermon I was listening to this week, the pastor mentioned a favorite saying his mom used to use, "I am the master of my unspoken words and the slave to those that should have remained unspoken."

Reminds me of Proverbs 25:11, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

It isn't any surprise the bible compares fitly spoken words to precious metals. Think back to someone in your life who spoke a positive word that either lifted you up, encouraged you or affects you in a positive way to this day. How valuable are those words? More precious than any amount of money you could gather, I would imagine.

I remember the pastor's wife at one of my former churches, she was tiny with bright eyes, always reminded me of a happy bird, like a sparrow. She never, and I mean never, greeted anyone without having an encouraging or uplifting word to say to that person. She passed away many years ago but I can still see her face, lifted up, looking at the person to whom she was speaking as if they were the only one standing in the sanctuary.

I think the key to this proverb is pretty simple. Watch the words that we allow to fall from our lips and when they do depart our mouths, make sure that our speech is uplifting for the recipient.

I know Grace will have something fabulous to say about this verse. You can read her words here on the home page and we hope that you can participate in our challenge this week.

I used the MFT sketch challenge for this week in my card with the late summer tones or colors. It felt like the image was painting the scene around her. And I enjoyed using lots of patterned papers with both of them. Thanks for looking and have a great week!

Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 89...

Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. I thought the design team did an exceptional job with their samples this week! Our hostess is the talented and lovely Chris Olsen, who selected this verse Psalm 121:2-4 "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

Her challenge is to create a card or project with a tea or coffee cup or pot (or cocoa)-this can be the designer paper, the image, or embellishment.

The Craft's Meow! yay! is our sponsor this week and we are giving away a stamp set designed by Nina Bracket for TCM to one lucky, randomly selected winner! All you have to do is play along!

I love the psalms and am so glad that Chris selected this set of verses. You will have to read her devotional on the home page, I am sure she has great thoughts to share with us this week. That's sort of the surprise each week, none of the design team members knows week to week what the devotional is going to be or sometimes why we had to stamp particular things to meet that hostess' challenge. I know I've confused some folks during my weeks to hostess! So Chris' devotional will be as fresh to my eyes as it is to yours.

Years ago, when I first became a Christian, one of the first musical artists I found had a wonderfully happy song that spoke of waking up in the morning, not only to realize that it was a brand new day with all sins forgiven, but also that while we slept, God was watching over us. I had a lot of trouble sleeping in those days because my husband had recently left me and I found myself a single mother with three small children under the age of five. I would lie awake at night many times fretting and worrying about how we were possibly going to make it on our own, how I could do that job by myself.

The key was, I wasn't by myself. And when I immersed myself in the bible, sang praise songs at night and prayed, then I could rest. Then I could slumber while the one who never has any need of sleep watched over my family. I had passed my troubles over to one so much more capable than I. And that song celebrated the fact that each day was a new dawn and God was in control.

I can't find a music clip, but the song is called "Smellin' Coffee" if you want to look it up, by Chris Rice.

Thanks for looking. Have a blessed week!


My card also fits into these challenges:

Card Patterns sketch 115

IC284 Blue Magnolias

When I get a chance I like to try the inspiration challenge at SCS on Saturdays, usually that day is very busy or we're out of town! The site chosen this week has beautiful glass beads, the problem with the IC's is that they can sometimes inspire you to go shopping too! :) Which I need to avoid right now.
Anyway, I wanted to make the magnolia in blue and another inspiration of mine, I have to say, was seeing Dawn Lusk's coloring, especially her leaves, I need to be more bold with my prismacolor pencils and not be afraid to lay down a little color! So I made more bold leaves, I hope!
This is for Faith's birthday, her birthday is today! But the sentiment says 'belated' because there surely is no way it will make it from my state to hers in time unless I hired a very large, very strong carrier pigeon!
Thanks for looking and have a great day
Stamps: Magnolia Wedding, Autumn Fun (sentiment)
Ink: black, blue for sponging
Paper: Melissa Frances DP, white, blue
Other: prismacolor pencils, gamsol, pearls, nestabilities 18 and 14, PTI impression plate, cuttlebug impression plate

The Saturday challenge on the Mark's Finest Papers blog is posted as well today and the challenge is monochromatic blue! This isn't completely monochrome, I just can't see blue leaves, but almost! Play along and you can win!

Mark's Finest Papers May Release . . . American Made

Hi everyone! As we know blogger was acting wonky recently and this post disappeared as did some other things . . .crazy!

Anyway, today is the fourth day of the Mark's Finest Papers May release hop! Hop, hop, hop. The weather in many parts of the country is beautiful, so I would imagine a lot of folks are outdoors. I still have seeds to plant!

But I want to show you these cards from the last set being introduced this month, American Made. Very patriotic and you can create a lot of interesting cards with it. The eagle card uses the cracked glass technique and a rosette that I learned how to make from a tutorial on Becca Feeken's blog, thank you Becca!

And thanks for looking~! The link back to Mark's Finest Papers is right here for the other cards created by the design team. They are beauties, you don't want to miss out on seeing them!

Mark's Finest Papers May Release . . . Big Boy Toys

Welcome to day two of the Mark's Finest Papers May release blog hop! Again, my codes don't want to cooperate with me. Please visit the main blog for details, at Mark's Finest Papers. If you arrived here from Anne, you are on the right track. After my blog, please visit Connie's and you are hopping along just fine!

I enjoyed creating a scene with the detailed stamp in this set.



Here is a close up of the truck and trees.



And I had fun with the big rig image too, although I would have laughed a few months ago if someone had told me I'd have fun stamping a truck image! I remember as a kid always hearing the ads about the monster truck rallies. They always repeated their message three times . . . Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Big, big, big!!! And so on. And with big rigs they seem to like a lot of chrome and even glitter, so I added those as well. Thanks for looking and happy hopping!

Mark's Finest Papers May Release . . . Here Comes the Grad!

Welcome to the Mark's Finest Papers May blog hop!

I am having tons of trouble with the html codes, so this is going to be an abbreviated version of the regular post! Check the main blog at Mark's Finest Papers for complete details about the hop and becoming a guest designer! If you are at my blog now, you should have arrived from Anne. After your visit here, please proceed to visit Connie! Mark's Finest Papers is releasing four new sets this month. All four are available today, here is the first one, Here Comes the Grad!

This was serendipitous timing because I needed at least three college graduation cards. The top two I made using the Joseph's Coat technique, using a Celebration kaleidacolor pad for my base color. In brief for that technique, brayer your color onto glossy cardstock. Stamp your chosen images in versamark onto the paper and emboss using clear powder. Rub a craft ink pad over the entire sheet. Let it dry completely! (don't ask me how I know this). Then wipe gently with a tissue and the embossed section will have resisted the ink, showing the color beneath. My goal was to recreate in color the very end of graduation when at the graduations I have attended, all the grads throw their hats in the air and they spiral towards the ceiling. To me that moment just bursts with exuberant celebration!




For this next set of cards, the top one I created in more feminine tones for my oldest, who graduated on Saturday summa cum laude from her university. Yes, I am a proud mama! I used a modified version of the step card, this will fit into an A2 envelope. Don't you love the hat pins? Those are from MFP too!




As you can tell, I had fun with this set. I really like that owl image and the graduation cap, of course, will work for any age group's celebration. Again, please visit Connie next! Happy hopping!

Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 88 . . .Ecc 3:11

Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. Our hostess this week is Sabrina, one of our newer team members and I'm excited to read her devotional for her chosen verse this week from Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He has made everything beautiful in its time." Her challenge is to make a card and put all things "beautiful" on it (flowers, pearls, bling, butterflies, etc.) You can read Sabrina's thoughts and see all of the other creations by the design team on the home page here.

This weekend I am away from home enjoying the beauty of watching my oldest graduate from college. :) I also have enjoyed watching the landscape turn ever more green as we traveled south from our home. That is a beautiful color after all the white of winter! But the last part of that verse, that he has made "everything beautiful in its time" is a wonderful reminder of the beauty that each season holds. We cannot rush the seasons, no man can no matter how hard he might try. And how much complaining we hear about the weather! Its too rainy or too sunny or lately in my world, too wintery! This verse is a great reminder that if it is still wintery where I live, God has ordained it to be so and created it with its own special beauty.

I needed a sympathy card this week and this didn't start as a sympathy card, but ended up as one. I started with a new stamp set being introduced by Mark's Finest Papers this coming week, stamping the magnolias in gold and coloring them with prismacolor pencils. I don't own the larger sized nestabilities, so I took the labels one nestabilities that I do own and traced around the curves and point in the center to create a shaped card. Added a bit of DP, a verse from Verve and a bit of gray ribbon.

It is difficult to see but I outlined the designer paper in gold pen to match the magnolias stamped in gold, and then put a touch of glitter around the edges of the card.

Thank you for looking and we hope you have time to play along this week.

This card also suits the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges #86: Use lots of flowers

For Fun Challenges: Use lots of flowers

Tuesday Taggers: Something old, something new (the stamps are new, not yet released in fact, and the brad is older than two years . . .the bling is a sparkly brad)

Divas by Design . . . Anything Goes

Welcome to the very first challenge of a new challenge blog called Divas by Design!

This blog will host bi-weekly challenges that start every other Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. GMT starting May 4th.

"We want everyone to have fun and freedom in their creations so we don't mind if you use digi stamps, rubber stamps or no stamps! We would just like you to follow our theme for the challenge and have fun doing it! Please feel free to grab our badge for your sidebar and follow us for future fun!"

I was so pleasantly surprised when they chose me for a member of the design team, and then very humbled when I started to see the creations by the other DT members! They are fabulous!

I chose to make a card and pulled out a Tilda given to me by a friend. I always enjoy playing with paper dolls! The sketch I followed was created by my friend's daughter, she's already got her own sketch blog and she is ten years old? I think? You can find it here, Sketches by Carly.

I've been itching to use some dies from My Favorite Things, that's the banner in the corner. After I made it I realized that I should probably have put a "Y" for the last letter, I'm so used to short handing everything texting the kids now, I realize that not everyone will be able to interpret this! But the letters stand for I Love You. . . .but I used a "u" instead of a "y." Okay, time to stop rambling!

The point is, I had fun, and you are meant to have fun too, so for this first challenge, anything goes!

(And just a note for anyone who is time zone challenged (as I am). The challenges post at 9:00 GMT which is Greenwich Mean Time, so compared to EST in the U.S. that time is four hours ahead if you practice daylight savings time.)

This card fits the following challenges:

Just Magnolia: Buttons, bows and bling (buttons)

Sketches by Carly: sketch

Claudia and Co: butterflies

Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge 87. . . Romans 8:28

Happy Sunday stampers! It is time for another challenge from Stampin' Sisters in Christ. Our hostess this week is the introspective and talented MariLynn, who has selected this well known and well loved verse from Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Her challenge is for you to NOT use designer paper, the paper must start out as a solid color.

Our sponsor this week is Clear Dollar Stamps. You can see the rest of the creations by the design team on the home blog here and my design sister Kris used a beautiful strawberry stamp that I didn't know existed before today and now feel the need to own. :) You can also read MariLynn's thoughts on her chosen verse.

What does that verse mean to me? I think there are a lot of ways to interpret it and I have to be careful when I read it. I tend to think of it more in terms of what it does not mean.

God works for the good of those who love him . . . God's eternal view of what is deemed good isn't necessarily the American cultural view of what we would think of as good. I need to leave that word up to God's interpretation.

God works . . . he's not the only one who is to be working. If we are called according to his purpose, then we have a job, a purpose here on earth to fulfill before we go to our eternal home and we need to be busy about doing it. That purpose will differ for everyone, but ultimately our purpose is to bring God glory. So it does not mean God does the work, I sit back and wait for heaven to come along some day. I'll be interested to read the thoughts of the other designers on this verse.

In the meantime, I used last week's sketch from Card Patterns, too late to enter it on their blog, but it helped me figure out what to do on this challenge. I started with white, red and blue paper. Gingham has always been popular but seems to really be making a resurgence; I've seen three stamp companies introduce gingham-style stamps in the past few months, but luckily I purchased a gingham background stamp a long while ago and can play along with this trend.

The image is from Clear Dollar Stamps and I don't know if you can tell from this photo or not, but I put a little strip of glitter on the blue burst behind the sentiment to help it stand out a bit more. If someone is "spoon-tacular" I think they need a little bling!

Thanks for looking. Hope you can play along this week!

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps "Kitchen Clutter", CHF gingham backgrounder, SU retired background (flowers)

Ink: red, black

Paper: red, white, blue

Other: glitter, nestabilities, copics, gingham and other ribbon, scalloped edge die