Curtain Call Bouquet Challenge

Hello Delightful friends and family,

Here is a card I did using Dylusion sprays on an acrylic block and a water brush to color on watercolor paper (Ranger).   Isn't this stamp so cute, it's by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called Sunshine and Flowers.  It is such a fun set!  I'm writing this up on my lunchbreak at work so I'm sorry I don't remember which company made the "hello"

I will be sharing this over at Curtain Call with the challenge "Bouquet".

Thanks for visiting!!  Hope to share another card tomorrow! 

I'll be heading to Addy and Riley Ann's softball game after work today and hope to get some cute pictures of the little granddaughter's playing ball!!  They are so fun to watch!

Adorable is My Middle Name - Mini Album

Hello Delightful friends and family!

Here is my second mini album I made for my niece.  This ended up to thick to add to the one I shared in the earlier post.  My intention was for this to be an interactive page inside the first mini album I made.  So, she received two instead of one but there were no complaints (lol!)

Warning: This post has a lot of pictures!

  I've used the same paper as the last mini album (DCWV - Nana's Nursery Baby Boy)

Here is the link to making the base of this album: TUTORIAL.  When I made the base I thought I was using a good color to coordinate but it ended up that I hated it and so I Gesso'd the entire thing and either ink sprayed, covered with the DCWV paper or used a better color of card stock to coodinate with the designer paper. (a lot of extra work on my part which was unnecessary if I had chosen a better color card stock to start with)

I'm just going to share little bits with you because there is just too much to remember!!!

Dies: Spellbinders; Flower punch (Marvy Uchida); Faux stitching: Faber Castell Pitt white pen. The front cover closes with velcro.

I've used small white tags from Paper Accents that's I've embellished.  Stamps and ribbon: Taylored Expressions.

 I've used seam binding and dyed it with Dylusions Ink Spray (Ranger) and the vine stamp is from Prima Marketing.  The border is the DCWV paper.  I've slipped in a 4"x6" piece of vellum in the place where the picture should go.

Printed words next to hippo sticker below is computer generated and printed on a transparency.

Notes and Date are a Lawn Fawn Alpha stamp set. Border die (My Favorite Things), each tag has this on the backside for journaling.

Tag stamped with "Cutie Pie" (Unity Stamp Co.) Flower border (Taylored Expressions) and Grass (Lawn Fawn.  Photo Corners: Marvy Uchida Punch.

 "Adorable" quote computer generated printed on Vellum (font: Cutie Patootie); Fishtail banner die (MFT) I double stamped the lion on patterned paper twice and fussy cut the head and used a dimensional to pop it out a bit.  I don't remember the paper I used but it worked well and he turned out so cute!!  I used a Copic marker to color the mane.  The background was ink sprayed with Ranger Dylusions Ink (vibrant turquoise, dirty martini and white linen) and I'm loving this combination.  It's even prettier in person.

 I think the woodgrain paper is Simple Stories and I cut the extra strip at the top and bottom to make it look like a fence.  Distressed with ink on the edges.  The banner is the MFT die.  WeR Memory Keepers bakers twine to string the banner.  I was inspired by a scrapbook page on Pinterest for this layout.

So, if you made it this far, thanks for sticking with this picture heavy post.  I hope you are inspired! If you have any questions please be sure to leave them in the comment section and I'll try and answer them for you.

I will be sharing this at Word Art Wednesday #136 Anything Goes.

 Today is my little granddaughter Addy's 5th birthday!  Can't believe she will be starting kindergarten in the fall! I took this picture today as she was heading out the door on the way home.  

Thanks for visiting!

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9

Thank You - PSS Anything Goes and SACC #39

Hello Delightful Friends and Family!
Hooray it's Friday!!  Have a real quick and easy card I want to share today.

Directions: 

White card stock base (A2)

Cut Yellow Bazzill card stock an 1/8" smaller than base, cut another piece of white card stock;

Stamp Dylusions border stamp (Further Around the Edge set) in Memento Tuxedo Black, color with Copic Marker, add Liquid Pearls (Buttercup).  Add sentiment (Paper Smooches - Sentiment Sampler) Archival Ink - Chrome Yellow; Add ribbon to coordinate (Taylored Expressions Key Ingredient ribbon).

Can you see a set of these cards in different colors?  And with all the different sentiments from the PS Sentiment Sampler set!!  I think I'll make a few of these card sets for gifts!  

I've shared this at the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge: Anything Goes (week 1)

and Sister Act Card Challenge Blog #39

That's all for today!  Thanks for visiting.

Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation.  Psalm 68:19

Guest Designer for Word Art Wednesday for November!! (WAW #105)

Hello Delightful Friends and Family,

So excited to share with you that I'm this month's Guest Designer at Word Art Wednesday!  It's a real honor to be asked to join this group of talented ladies for the month of November.  Thanks so much to Karen for asking me, you've been such an encouragement and a blessing and it was such a nice surprise to be asked!

The Scripture this week is from Isaiah 41:3 and you can download and use it for your card or project but the challenge is Anything Goes so you can still play along even if you don't use the verse but please keep it Family Friendly, and then share with us by linking up at Word Art Wednesday.

Background: Dylusion Spray Paints, Faber-Castell Gelatos, Sharpie White Paint Pen.

Prima Marketing Mixed Media Stamp ("Riley" by Julie Nutting)

Ingredients Shown:  Dylusion Stamps - How Does Your Garden Grow; EK Success blossom punch, Sharpie White Paint Pen; Buttons (stash); Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Copic Markers (for leaves)

 Here is a close up of the paper piecing. The Designer Paper is Cosmo Cricket (Tea for Two ) and I've used a punch to make the heart and colored it with a gold Spica pen.

A little more detail with the washi tape and the flower stamps (Dylusions - How Does Your Garden Grow and Taylored Expressions - In the Word - "Trust")

Thanks so much for visiting here and please see all the wonderful inspiration at Word Art Wednesday!

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:9

hello, my friend - WAW#96

Hello Delightful friends and family!

Keeping it short today my friends.  Here's a simple hello of encouragement for a friend. I paper pieced the birdies.  They are from a stamp set called "How Does Your Garden Grow?" from Dylusions (Ranger)

The sentiment is from MFT "Just My Type"

This card is entered into the Word Art Wednesday Challenge #96 Anything Goes

Other ingredients:  Designer Paper: Basic Grey; Card Stock, Bazzill; Button, my stash; Hemp cording, Darice.  Dies:  Spellbinders Nestabilities, Classic circles and Scallop Circles.  Ink: Memento, Tuxedo Black.

Thanks for visiting!

“But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:15

With All Diligence - My Faith Art Journal - WAW#74

Hello Delightful friends and family,

It's already Thursday, can you tell me how that happened?! Hope you are having a wonderful week . I'm enjoying this new faith art adventure, here are my latest pages, just finished (well I think they are done, you never know I may revisit them and add more, time will tell!)  

My last art journal post I  shared about the verses in 2 Peter chapter one that I want to use for my inspiration in this journal. Those verses were the beginning of the "stepping out of my comfort zone" and the beginning of a woman's Bible study (that was just about 15 years ago!). 

 I had been teaching the children for years but never had taught in the women's ministry at our church.  But you know (or maybe you don't, I don't want to assume) when the Lord begins to speak to your heart about something that He desires you to do, He goes to great lengths to get your attention!  For me it was this small voice "suggesting" that I start a morning Bible study for the ladies at our church. Being the great woman of faith I jumped at the chance to be obedient (NOT)!!!! Sadly, I questioned, "Lord is this just me?  Is it because my husband is the pastor that I have to do this??"  I reasoned that the other pastor's wives never did this... surely this is just my own thoughts, right Lord?  I teach the children, I'm not scholarly, I'm not a good speaker, I hated speech class!  You've got to be kidding, right? 

Well, this went on for a week or so but it just wouldn't go away.  So, I prayed, Lord I believe this is You and I want to please You and be obedient, but if this is just me and my own thoughts, I just don't want to do it if that is the case.  Well, the Lord did answer that prayer by waking me up in the middle of the night and spoke to my heart and made it clear to me that I was to begin a study for the ladies and it was to begin in 2 Peter. Period. And that He would equip me to do it. Period.  And I can honestly say that He has done exactly that  and He has been so patient with me!  He is faithful and it is so true that when He guides us, He will provide for us, whatever the need may be.  

And so that gives you (if you made it this far) a little insight into my faith art journal and why these verses in 2 Peter are so personal to me.

I'm excited to share with you that my friend Abby (Little Birdie Blessings) has shared on her blog part of an outline of one of my Bible studies.  I had originally shared this with the group of ladies from the local Vital Network (Stonecroft Ministries) in February of this year.  The Lord is still taking me out of my comfort zone, from the four walls of my church and into the community to share His Word.  Thank you, Abby and to God be all the glory! 

Thanks so much for visiting!

I'm also entering this into Word Art Wednesday # 74

Some of the ingredients used: Stamp - Unity Stamp Co. (She was a Daughter); Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); Chevron and Leaf Die (Taylored Expressions); Dylusions Spray Ink and stencil (Ranger); assortment of acrylic paints and Prismacolor Pencils; Zig Pen Writer, black; Faber-Castell crayons

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  James 1:17

Complete and Growing, My Adventures in a Faith Journal - WAW

Hello Delightful friends and family!

Fast week!  And this will be a fast post.  It's going to be a tough weekend because it's going to be a busy one plus my aunt's funeral is tomorrow as well, which will begin the day off on a sad note but in the evening we will be celebrating my youngest daughter's birthday, so we will end up on a happy note.  A fast post is because I need to get busy and make her a birthday card!! 

Here are the next two/four pages to my Faith Art Journal which will be entered in the Word Art Wednesday Challenge Blog (Anything Goes) #72

 This first page is a reminder of the verse in Colossians 2 verse 10 that tells us that we are complete in Christ.  What a relief that was when the Lord revealed that in His Word to me.  I don't have to rely on my husband to complete me, nor my children, nor religious works, because my Lord and Savior has said that He completes me.  The butterflies represented the new life (salvation by faith in Jesus Christ) I have as a Christian.  I am new and complete in Christ!

Now that I'm new and complete, I need to grow in God's grace.  Not only have I received the grace of God (His unmerited/undeserved favor to me) but I'm to grow and extend that grace to others and grow in my knowledge of Him, too.  The verse that inspired me for the following pages is 2 Peter 3:18.  

My next few pages I plan to work on will be expounding on the verses found in 2 Peter 1 that really ministered to me as a young believer and helped me grow in faith.  It tells us what and how we are to add to our faith. (Please take a few moments to read the first chapter of 2 Peter.) It doesn't say to add to salvation because that is a done deal, but we are to grow and add to our faith.  It's a constant going forward, it's enduring and it's growing in the knowledge of the Lord. 

 I hope this will encourage you to abound and grow in your knowledge AND in your love for Jesus.

Here are a few of the ingredients I've used: Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabbers, Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints and Studio Multi-medium matte; Stencils:  Plaid Folklore, Dylusions 5x8, Crafter's Workshop; Inks: Archival Black; Dylusions Ink Sprays; Faber-Castell Gelatos and Crafter Crayons; Stamps: Dylusions (How Does Your Garden Grow, Further around the Edge) and Taylored Expressions (Make it Memorable - KI Kit);Ranger Liquid Pearls; Prismacolor pencils; Zig Pen (all the writing and letters are my own handwriting and my attempt at doodling!)  Designer paper scraps are from Jillibean Soup (Grandma's Lima Bean Soup collection);

Thanks for looking and to God be all the glory!

PS. so much for the fast post... (ha!)

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Colossians 2:9-10

Heart of the Matter - Faith Art Journal

Hello Delightful Friends and Family,

Working on my Faith Journal and enjoying the "journey" so far, course it's only been a day and a half (ha!).  I have some ideas for pages floating around that I need to write down before they escape! In my last post I shared that that those were my first pages but I should clarify that they were my first pages completed.  These two pages are actually my first pages.  I feel very strongly about our hearts being right before God and so that prompted me to have a couple of "heart" pages to begin this journal. So... "The Heart of the Matter is.... God is Love.  That's the bottom line, God is love.  However, we have a responsibility, too which is found in the Scripture I share at the bottom of the page from John 14:5 "If you love Me, keep my commandments."  That's pretty straightforward.  We need to pay attention to that two letter word "if" when we see it in the Bible.  It usually denotes a condition of personal responsibility towards God.   So let me make it personal, if you love Jesus, do you keep His Word, His commandments?  Those commandments are summed up in two, love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.  You see it's not being religious, fulfilling some religious duty, it's about a personal relationship in which we are loving the Lord, pleasing Him and loving those around you.  If you are loving, you are fulfilling the law of Christ!

 Here are some close-up snippets of the journal:

Some of the ingredients:  Background - Dylusions Spray Ink, Ranger Dabber Acrylic paint.  Doily Stencil (a gift from my online friend and sister in Christ, Marsha Fisher, please check out her blog HERE) also used on the last post and I forgot to mention that, oops!  Tim Holtz Sizzix Heart Dies (movers and shapers line); EK Success heart punch; Liquid pearls and Viva Pearl Pen; Black Zig Pen for my writing and shadowing around some of the letters and hearts; Studio Multi-Medium (matte). Hand drawn letters, fussy cut and doodled :-)

Thanks for visiting and letting me share my heart with you!

 I will praise You O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. Psalm 9:1

Faith Art Journal - Word Art Wednesday #71

Hello Delightful friends and family!

It has been a busy and exhausting week for some reason, nothing really has changed in my schedule.  Oh wait a minute, the time change.... ugh... I don't know why one hour of time can cause me to feel so wiped out!  Weird.  Or am I just getting... ya know... kinda old...worn out?  Wait a minute, that can't be it, Jake my 6 year old grandson is having the same reaction...never mind!  I think I'm feeling better already ;-)

Well, after much perusing of Pinterest and being inspired by the girls at work and their wonderful examples of mixed media art I decided to start my faith-based art journal.  I didn't have a journal that could withstand all the techniques and then I saw on one of my rabbit trails in Pinterest that I could use an old hardbound book.  But here's the catch: I would have to tear out pages and then glue some of the remaining pages together for added depth and strength.  Well, what's the rub?  I'm a former librarian, it's extremely difficult for former librarians to deface a book after years of teaching little ones not to! 

But I faced the challenge, found a duplicate "old" book, which happened to be a devotional, which will come in handy as I use the torn out pages to stamp on, make flowers etc. (is that justifying the situation or what!??) plus I don't have to worry about inappropriate words popping up on a Faith journal under the  Gesso'd  pages! It's a win-win.  As a matter a fact, I found this quote on one of the torn out pages which I've used on my first pages.  "Live every moment as best we can... trust God for the result."  It was this quote that was the springboard for the two pages.  Give your best effort for God's glory then TRUST the LORD for the results = BLOOM.

Here is a "partial" list of the ingredients:  Book: Pocketful of Hope by Mary C. Crowley; Stamps: Unity Stamp Co (Andi girl) and Ranger Dylusions stamps (How Does Your Garden Grow); Copic Markers, Sharpie black marker (fine tip); Acrylic paints: Ranger Adirondack Dabbers, Claudine Hellmuth Studio paints; Making Memories Acrylic paints. Faber Castell crafter crayons; Mod Podge. Dylusion Spray Inks (fun colors!).

I'm entering this at the Word Art Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes #71

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful weekend!

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  John 10:10

3x3 Notecards - Splitcoast Stampers LOVEFEST2013I

Hello Delightful Friends and Family!!

Another challenge at Splitcoast Stampers Member Company Love Fest.   I'm joining in on the Taylored Expressions challenge LOVEFEST2013I "A Little Love" the challenge is to make a set of 3x3 cards or smaller.  So surprise! I have another set of 3x3 to share.

(a close up to show the Liquid Pearls, just a fun embellishment to add dimension. I've also added 1/8" dimensionals to pop up the focal image)

Ingredients:  Stamps: Ranger Dylusions (How Does Your Garden Grow) and Taylored Expressions Bugabee set; Designer Paper: My Minds Eye - The Sweetest Thing collection; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black;  Copic Markers to color; Ranger Liquid Pearls, Glossy Accents and Crackle Paint (for the flower centers) to embellish.  Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities Scallop Oval.

Thanks again for visiting and commenting!  Hope you'll come back soon.

I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.  Psalm 7:17