Word Art Wednesday Challenge - Psalm 139

Hello Delightful Friends!

Congrats to Carrie Sherridan who won the prize from my blog and thanks to all of you who left comments and played along with the Word Art Wednesday Bloghop! 

Hope you are getting a chance to get crafty, I've been so busy with life that I've been having a hard time getting into my craft room.  I got a new Minc laminator for Christmas and haven't even had a chance to get it out of it's box and play with it! Hopefully, I can get a managable schedule and start really playing again.  My craft room is calling my name 😊

I did get a card together (I have a table of crafty goodness on a table at work) just in time for our Word Art Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes - Family Friendly) We have a terrific sponsor:  Avery Elle ($25)!!

I have so many of their stamps and dies and these I've used in this card are a couple of favorites.  (Unfortunately the stamp set Framed Florals and Diagonal Stripes die are no longer available, I should have checked before I made the card.)

I stamped a couple of the flowers and the leaves and colored them with Prismacolor pencils and used mineral spirits to blend the colors, then fussy cut them out. I chose the heart paper (Taylored Expressions) and cut to fit behind the die cut card stock.  The Scripture Art is from Psalms 139.  The line "And know my heart" inspired the pattern paper in the background.

Well that's it for me!  Thanks for visiting and God bless!

Natalie 💓

Sneak peek!

Hey there!
Here is a peek of one of the cards we will be making in class in July at Scrapper's Edge in Eureka, CA.  It will be the class called Christmas in July (of course!!)  If you are in the area it would be great to have you in class!  We will be making 3 cards.  Check out Scrapper's Edge class page and sign up!

Thanks for visiting!!

I've Taken a Viking to You...

Hello Delightful Friends!

Just had to give a shout out to Lisa Henke, a HUGE THANK YOU for the happy mail!  I was the winner on her blog for the Season's of Giving bloghop.  She outdid herself with the goodies.  I can't thank her enough.  Everything in the package was something I will use and is so my style.
I had to share a card I made with one of the stamps that was part of my winnings.  It was the Avery Elle Viking stamp (with a die, too!! Oh my goodness! So cute)

I've colored the Viking with Copics and used a colored pencil to add a bit of texture to his manly beard!  I had this cute paper from Pebbles (Night-Night) with the fun anchors and the backside was the blue gingham. I matted each paper with a charcoal gray, added the baker's twine and a button to embellish. I cut out the image using the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circle die and then using the Spellbinders Nestabilities circle die I cut out the gray circle to mat.

Inside: the stamp I used here was from a set called You Aren't Normal (Technique Tuesday) that I have had for a while and the sentiments in the set just crack me up! Not so sure that Vikings fought zombies but I thought it was pretty funny to think about that ;-)

 The heart die is from Lawn Fawn.

Thanks so much for visiting and I hope to be posting a few more cards here in the next few days.  

Blessings to you!

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. Psalm 130:5

Fabulous Fuchias - Card Class

Hello!
I'm doing a class today at Scrapper's Edge, our local Scrapbook store in Eureka.
We will be making three cards featuring the Avery Elle stamp set called Hummingbird. 

Here are my card samples:

Class is from 1 to 3, so I know the ladies won't have time to finish all the cards, they are watercolored so I've done a lot of the prep work, such as die cutting, cutting the card stock to size, etc.  I've stamped and embossed the one card so it's ready to color.  The class includes all the supplies they would need to use including an envelope and an instruction sheet, for this class they just bring their watercolors and brushes as well as a Basic kit consisting of trimmer, scissors and adhesive.  If you are in the Eureka (northern Calif.) area or have plans to visit you should check out our website and see if there are going to be classes during the time you are here. You can sign up and pay online for your convenience and we like it if you would sign up at least 2 days before class so the instructors (like me!) have time to prepare for class.  Most of our card classes range from $15 to $18 which I think is really reasonable!  So check out the website here and see what we have to offer.

Praise the Lord.  Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands.  Psalm 112:1

On the Calendar:

Next class that I will be teaching features Lawn Fawn stamps and dies and relates to what you find at the fair.  The local county fair is in August so I thought that would be a fun one to do.  I will post the card samples soon!  I'm working on September class samples this week!

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed week!

It's Summer! WAW challenge 288 and 289

Hello Delightful friends and family!!

Happy summer! Time to turn up the AC and pull out the sun screen!  Now I must admit, we don't have AC because it doesn't get that hot here in northern California.  We open the windows and back door to get a bit of a breeze to go through the house! But we sure don't have to go far to get into the extreme heat! Of course there are a couple of big lakes to jump into if it gets too hot and locally we have the river and ocean to cool off in.

Well, it's time for another Word Art Wednesday Challenge with a fabulous sponsor in Simon Says Stamp! So be sure and link up your project for a chance to win a $25 gift card!  Thanks to everyone who plays along, I'm amazed how many entries we have each challenge and all the beautiful creations.

Here is my card, I didn't use an exclusive Simon Says Stamp but you could get this stamp and die from their online store.  I have a list of my ingredients below the card.

Ingredients - Stamp: Floral Bouquet from Avery Elle, Die: Horizontal Stripes, Avery Elle-ments.

Colored with Tombow Markers. Embellished with Liquid Pearls (buttercup); Strathmore 140lb cold press watercolor paper; Neenah white card stock (base); Pink card stock (stash). Scripture Art (digi from Karen Murray).  I've stamped the largest image once, two of the smaller blossoms, a spray and 4 leaves and assembled them on the card after I watercolored and fussy cut them out.

The Scripture Art is from the book of Jeremiah (chapter 31 and verse 3) and is all about the lovingkindness of the Lord.  Even at times when we are rebellious and stubborn, the Lord goes to extraordinary lengths to extend grace and mercy.  Is that a reason to continue in sin, absolutely not! He gently reminds us to get back on the right path many times before discipline comes to us.  But what good father doesn't discipline his children, right?  There is another Scripture that comes to mind that I read the other day in the book of Psalms that I would like to share. If we would just remember to give God the glory and praise Him for His faithfulness, it helps us to stay the course and be blessed of the Lord. He only wants what is best for us and is always there to help us to endure through whatever comes our way.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night;    Psalm 92:2

Thanks so much for visiting! Have a blessed week and enjoy the summer!

Word Art Wednesday - They shall be filled!

Hello Delightful friends and family!

Just a quick post to share a card for the challenge at Word Art Wednesday this week.
It's an Anything Goes - Family Friendly challenge featuring Scripture Art that each design team member uses to share a project and to share God's Word!  Hope you will play along with us, remember you can link up 5 new projects and you have two weeks to play.  This challenge sponsors are Lawn Fawn (6x6 paper pad and stamp set)  and All Dressed Up (they have some of the cutest digitals).  Two wonderful prizes to play for!!
This weeks Scripture Art is from the Gospel of Matthew 5:6.  It is free to download!  You can grab it at Word Art Wednesday, this weeks challenge is #286 and #287.

Here is my card:

Using my MISTI I stamped this image from the Avery Elle stamp set called  Floral Frame. This is the largest stamp in the set and I first stamped in the top right corner, then flipped my paper and stamped on the opposite side bottom. I used Memento Gray Flannel to stamp the floral frame then colored with my Copic Markers and then added Prismacolor Pencils (White, Orange and Process Red) to add some finishing touches.  It was then matted on black card stock and adhered to a white card base.  Super simple and the coloring was very simple too, very little shading.  I did outline everything with Copic N1 and N0 for added depth.  Should be very easy to pop into an envelope and sent to a friend in need, it's flat and I didn't add any dimensional embellishments.

The Scripture art from Matthew 5:6 is from the Beatitudes that Jesus taught, you find them in what's know as the Sermon on the Mount.  This teaching is about the Christian life, both present and future, it shows that God is sovereign over all. The word beatitude means supreme blessedness or happiness.  The blessings promised in the beatitudes are directly related to our obedience to Christ Jesus our Lord. They develop our Christ-likeness by producing a godly character. If we are going to be "filled" we must hunger and thirst after righteousness, this will help us to develop humility, meekness, compassion, holiness, obedience, sensitivity and a growing commitment to Jesus Christ. These are to be evident in our lives and show that we are truly blessed and are born again of the Spirit. Remember we were bought at a price; therefore we glorify God with our body and our spirit which belong to our sovereign God.  To God be all the glory!

Thanks so much for visiting! Have an excellent week!

Birthday Balloons

Hello!
Hope you all are having a wonderful week!  Here is a card I did for a birthday last week but hadn't had time to post.  I will be sharing this at Seize the Birthday (Topping: Make your own background) this is my second card to share for the challenge.  The stamp set is from Avery Elle (Balloons).

I stamped the Happy and Birthday with Avery Elle Pigment Ink (Raspberry and Lemon Grass) and the "to you" is Archival Ink (buttercup).  I've embossed with Wow clear embossing powder.  I also used the Avery Elle Dies that coordinate with this stamp set and thankfully the little embellishments are part of the die set, too.  If you look close you can see my "mess ups" with the stamping of those little "confetti" pieces which is part of my background.  The background  confetti was an afterthought which was really dumb on my part because I had already adhered the balloons!  So.... I laid  down some of the coordinating inks on white c/s and then embossed it in clear, then die cut confetti pieces  and added them to the card to add dimension and "kind of"  clean up my goofs. (Note to self: backgrounds should be done before layers are added!) Well that's it for me today, super busy day at work today and I'm exhausted tonight, so I will pass up the craftroom tonight and probably browse Pinterest for some  inspiration!

Take care and thanks for visiting!!

A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken in due season, how good it is! Proverbs 15:23

Are you feeling it? Spring is just around the corner!

Hello Delightful friends and family!!
Another beautiful morning although rain is in the forecast for Sunday, we need the rain to get those beautiful flowers though, don't we!  Here is a flower card FOR YOU , especially for those who aren't experiencing Spring weather.  Hard to believe it's Spring when you watch the weather channel!

Here is a card I made and will be sharing at Word Art Wednesday this week.  It's the Faux Ceramic Tile technique I've learned at the Online Card Classes.  Here is my sample, hope you like it!

I've used a Taylored Expressions Die (2) the flower and circle center, chipboard (not happy with regular white heavy chipboard but it worked this time and I'll explain in another post - much better results using Inchies), Avery Elle sentiment, Lawn Fawn stitched scallop die. Avery Elle pigment ink and clear embossing powder and Archival black ink.

Thanks for visiting! Have a terrific Friday!

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!  Psalm 8:9 

Birthdays and Coloring!

Hello Delightful friends and family,
I have two birthday cards to share today and I will be entering this first one at Seize the Birthday Card Challenge.  The challenge is to focus on the sentiment.
My second card is my grandson Jakob's card.  He is 8 years old! Oh my how time has flown by!

Seize the Birthday card:

My second card was inspired to share with the 30 Day Coloring Challenge at The Daily Marker Blog!  I'm a little slow getting out and sharing today is day 11 of 30!

 #thedailymarker30day

I will be sharing both cards at Word Art Wednesday #174 Anything Goes.

Thanks for visiting and God bless!

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.  2 Chronicles 15:7(NIV)

Dude, Happy Birthday!

Hello Delightful friends and family!

We had a birthday in our extended family last week.  My sister's boyfriends' son (I'm not checking to see if I did the punctuation correctly on that! ha!)  Anyway, I needed a masculine card for a teenage boy and I happened to have this digi image from ByLori Designs (Ethan) that hadn't been colored and it was perfect for Hunter who just happens to be into skateboarding.  Yay!!  So I pulled out my Copics and colored away!  I've used the Avery Elle stamp set called Surf's Up for the sentiment and the matching Happy Birthday is on the inside (love the font!).  The card base is Neenah Desert Storm (Scrapper's Edge) and the designer paper is Echo Park (Scoot 6x6 pad).  I've used the Taylored Expressions matching stamp and die set Garden Party Blooms.  Ink: Archival Jet Black and Dandelion.  The faux stitching was made by a Faber Castell Big Artist Pen in white.

I'll be playing along with the challenges at the following blogs:
Seize the Birthday (Anything Goes)
Word Art Wednesday #149 (Anything Goes)

Keeping it simple on the inside.

Well that's it for me!  Thanks for visiting.

The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.  Psalm 34:22

Belated Birthday

Hello Delightful friends & family!

Here is a card I made for a friend's birthday.  Happy Birthday Stephanie!

Close up of the Avery Elle die embellished with  Glossy Accents.

Inside of card

I'm entering this at Try Stampin' on Tuesday #180.  Only have two minutes to get this in on time yikes!

Thanks for visiting!

A Grill Father Birthday

Hello Delightful Friends and Family!
I'ts been a hugely busy two weeks with some extra church services,work,  family activities and summer fun, too! Including two new babies born to my nieces (congrats Shae & Bobbi!!!!), my son-in-laws birthday, hiking and a bonfire with s'mores on the beach  I cannot believe I had time to squeeze in a card or two but I did!
Here is a card I made for my son-in-law Ray who loves to barbecue (and very good at it I must say!) and so this was absolutely the perfect image to color for his card.  I've used three different stamp sets but the main focal point is from Art Impressions, the sentiment is Boys Will be Boys (Taylored Expressions)

I've colored the Grill Father with Copics and paper pieced the cooking mitt.  I watched a Sandy Allnock YouTube to learn how to make the illusions of the BBQ smoke and fire.  I went with the simple version but be sure and check out Sandy's videos they are incredible!  Maybe next time I'll get brave and try the more advanced background.

The stamps inside the card: Avery Elle (sentiment from Surf's Up) and the grill is from the Taylored Expressions (Boys will be Boys); I've used Archival Jet Black ink and Hero Arts Shadow Ink Mid Tone Red Royal.

Other ingredients:

The designer paper is from the 6x6 pad from Simple Stories Summer Fresh. The base is Neenah Desert Storm card stock and I've used red Bazzill c/s to mat the focal image, Memento Tuxedo Black ink.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Seize the Birthday
Word Art Wednesday #144
Sister Act Card #69
Great Impressions (August Birthday Bash)

Thanks so much for visiting!!

And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.  James 3:18 (NLT)

Thank You - Clean and Layered Card

Hello Delightful friends and family
I made a thank you card Thursday evening (you can never have enough of those!) and I was inspired by these three challenges:
The Card Concept 15 (Aqua, Lime and White; I chose the Clean and Layered card by Kay Miller HERE)
The Freshly Made Sketches #146
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Emboss it

I've used the following ingredients:

Inks: Archival, Aquamarine and Memento Pear Tart; Stamps and Dies: Taylored Expressions, Summer Lovin' and Garden Party Blooms (matching stamps and dies), Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (Thankful Innies), Avery Elle, Oh Happy Day sentiment; Designer Paper: Echo Park - Summer Days (12x12) and So Happy Together (6x6 paper pad); Bazzill card stock and Neenah 100lb bright white; Embossing Folder: Sizzix Swirls; button (my stash); Cuttlebug.

Looking forward to a fun Saturday watching t-ball and hiking with family!  Thanks for visiting!

PS.  My mom made it home safely and is doing great, thanks so much for your prayers!

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.  Psalm 37:7

Surfer Dude Birthday!

Hello Delightful friends and family!
Quick post to share a masculine "dude" card.  I used Distress Markers and Ink for this project and a stamp set from Avery Elle (van, surf board & sentiment), the sun is a die from Taylored Expressions and I've used Glossy Accents on the van windows and the sun.  I'm just learning to use the water color technique with the inks and markers (yikes, so out of my comfort zone!)  It was kinda fun, though!  I tried to give the water some depth, I was remembering that when I drive up the coast and above the ocean, it's so cool to see the different colors and depths of the water and when the sun shines on it just sparkles!  No way can I capture all of that.
 We've been having some gorgeous sunsets here and I hope I can grab a photo of one tonight after Bible Study (if not tonight maybe this weekend).

I'm entering this card at the following challenge:

Cardz 4 Guyz #27 At the Beach

Word Art Wednesday #141 (Anything Goes)

Thanks for looking!  Have an excellent day!

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5

Congrats! - WAW #132

Hello Delightful friends and family!
This card was made for my daughter and son-in-law for their anniversary last month.  I think it could be used for Valentines or a wedding card, too.  It's very simple and I love the bold red on the white base.  The stamp is from Avery Elle and the hearts are Sizzix Movers and Shapers mini hearts.  I used an embossing folder (Divine Swirls - Provocraft) on the larger heart, I'm not sure what paper I've used but the red/white dotted strip is washi tape.  The border punch is EK Success.  I've used Memento ink for the sentiment (Love Letters red)

I will be sharing this card at:
Word Art Wednesday #132 - Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting!

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

Only God knows... Sympathy card (WAW #117)

Hello Delightful Friends and Family!
Quick post tonight!  I wanted to do a simple one layer card and just bought this new (to me) stamp set of sentiments from Avery Elle.  I love the fonts! It also has the small flowers and petals as well as some other small shapes.
Unfortunately I've been needing sympathy cards (2014 is starting out rather rough for those left behind) and I thought this is somewhat cheery and I hope it brightens our young friend's day.

The inks I've used are Archival (venetian orange, chrome yellow) Memento (tuxedo black, pear tart), Colorbox (Playground).  Card stock is Neenah bright white.

The inside sentiment is new from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called Future.  It is one of 10 sentiments. I've added more flowers on the inside.  This is for a young lady who goes to our church and it's
not only to express condolences but to encourage her as well.
 
I will be sharing this card at Word Art Wednesday #117 Anything Goes.

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed week!

By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4