Spring Globe Scene - Word Art Wednesday

Hello Delightful friends!

I have a fun card to share for our Word Art Wednesday Challenge which features the Snow Globe from DRS Designs, a Christmas stamp that I've changed into a Spring Globe!  It took very little masking and I kept it pretty simple but just think of the possibilities with this stamp! I love versatility.
Thank you DRS Designs for sponsoring the prize for this weeks challenge at Word Art Wednesday!! Please play along with us, it's Anything Goes - Family Friendly challenge.

 

I've stamped on 100# Bristol Vellum paper and then watercolored the images with Zig Clean Color Brushes.  I used very little water to blend.  The cute images are from a Lawn Fawn Butterfly Kisses set. I masked using post-it notes.  I popped up the globe on the designer paper which was a scrap from Simple Stories Oh Happy Day 12x12 paper.

inside of card:

The inside was colored with pencils and I cut out the Scripture art with a circle die and using my trimmer I made a straight cut at the bottom of the circle to match up with the globe.  Thankfully I sized my Scripture art to fit perfectly!! I totally guessed!

The Scripture this week is Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, vs 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen

Oh to know and understand the love that Christ Jesus has for us!  It passes all knowledge and then to be able to realize He alone is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or even think and then work in us to bring Him glory.  It truly is mind blowing isn't it?!  If we know Him and love Him we want to please Him by living an obedient and sanctified life.  Seek Him and dig into His Word and be filled with His Spirit. You will experience the joy of the Lord.

Have an incredible week, thanks for visiting.

Put on Love - Word Art Wednesday

Thanks for visiting!! I trust you are having a great week. 

Today I am sharing a card for our Word Art Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes - Family Friendly). We have a fantastic sponsor this week : Waffle Flower Stamps and Dies!  Be sure and check out their blog for some fun inspiration.  Thanks so much to Waffle Flower for sponsoring our prize this week.  Don't forget you can link up 5 new projects per week of the 2 week challenge.

I've used the Bouquet Builders 1 stamp set on my card.

I used my Zig Clean Color brushes to color after stamping the individual images with Archival Watering Can ink.  I did a little tiny bit of masking but that work is hidden under the Scripture art strip! I've used Strathmore 140# cold press watercolor paper and kept this pretty simple, the card base is A2 and I cut the watercolor paper that size too.  I do love the vibrant colors of the Zig real brushes.  I used a waterbrush with the Light Blue for the background.  I may make another one and add a bit of texture/dimension with some Liquid Pearls or Nuvo Jewel Drops or perhaps a few sequins.  I'm pretty CAS when it comes to the watercolored cards.

Our Scripture Art this week is from Colossians 3:14

"And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

Love is truly the summary of all the things mentioned in the previous verses in this chapter in Colossians.  It is the righteous requirement of God to "put on charity aka love (agape). It's what shows that we are His and that bond of perfectness is the manifestation of the life of Christ Jesus in us, to which we were called.  Jesus said that others would know we belong to Him by our love for one another.  Chapter 3 of Colossians has a great checklist to examine our lives to see if we are walking in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, especially in our relationships with others.  I know I sure fall short, I'm so grateful for God's love and forgiveness.  I'm truly loved and feel so blessed because of His goodness to me!  To God be all the glory.

Have a wonderful week and thanks again for visiting!  I will be busy this afternoon making the grandkids their Valentine cards after our Ladies Bible Study in the morning.  Hopefully I will be able to post them here tomorrow.  I really want to make some peek a boo cards I saw on Jennifer McGuire's blog.  They sure were cute!

Birthday Fishes! Seize the Birthday challenge

Hello!

Here is a card I made for my son-in-law whose birthday is tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Ray!
We did some fishing over the 4th of July and so when I saw this stamp set, I knew I'd need it for all the "boys" in the family.  Actually we all love to fish! This stamp set is called Reel Great Guys from Art Impressions.  I'm entering this in the Seize the Birthday challenge with the topping "water".  This is my second card for the challenge.

I used my Zig Clean Color brushes for this and I got brave and made my own island in the background. The plaid paper is from Lawn Fawn and I've used Strathford 140# cold press water color paper and a natural white Neenah card stock base.  I stamped the images with Archival Watering Can ink and used Silver Black Velvet brushes (#4 and #8), I've popped up the watercolor paper with fun foam for dimension.

Update on my daughter and the Carr Fire:  The evacuation has been lifted for her town of Lewiston, however the road to get there easily is still closed.  Last time she went the alternate route is was over 3 hours from her work where normally it would be 45 minutes.  Yikes! Please continue to pray for the firefighters and the displaced people here in California.  It is a mess and so sad to see.  But God is greater than the mess and He will provide and show Himself strong on behalf of those who love and trust Him.

Thanks for visiting!! 

The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.  Jeremiah 31:3

Celebrate the Work of the Lord - Word Art Wednesday #346 & #346

Hello!
Thanks for visiting! It's already time for the Word Art Wednesday Challenge can you believe it!  August 1st is here and it seems like summer hasn't really even started yet! Hope you will be able to join us and share your crafty Anything Goes - Family Friendly creation with us! Our two sponsors are Neat & Tangled ($25 gift card) and Cutting Cafe (digital prize). Remember you can link up 5 new projects each week (cards, scrapbook pages, Bible journaling, mixed media, etc.)

Here is my card this week and I did a lot of masking on this to give the banner more flowers around it.  It's all from one stamp set called "Best Buds" from Paper Smooches. I've colored it with Zig Clean Color Real Brushes (Kuretake) and I've also used Prima - The Classics watercolors.  The backgound paper is Carta Bella Fall Break and the watercolor paper is 140# cold press (Strathmore). I've stamped the images using Archival Ink Watering Can and embellished with a few sequins.

Our Scripture Art this week is Psalm 92:4

It's a psalm of thanksgiving! We do have so much to be thankful for and especially as we see the hand of God at work in our lives.  To give thanks to God is such a small thing when you compare it to His goodness towards us but it truly is our "reasonable service" not only to praise Him for His goodness but live so that others can see His goodness in us.  C.H. Spurgeon said, "When God reveals His work to a man, and performs a work in his soul, He makes his heart glad most effectually, and then the natural consequence is continual praise."  I say "Amen" to that!!

  Please keep California in your prayers!  We are being hit hard with fires this summer and it keeps hitting closer to home.  Many of our friends in Redding (Carr Fire) had to be evacuated, and we thank the Lord that most have now been able to return to their homes. Now that fire is spreading west into Trinity County and there is still the threat of more acres being burned.  Our daughter was evacuated from the town of Lewiston Sunday night and has been in contact with some of the residents who chose to stay and so far so good.  The fire is still a couple miles from the town but its in such a rural area it's a tough one to fight. Our specific prayer is that the winds would die down completely, that is one of the reasons for it spreading so rapidly in addition to the mountainous terrain. Please keep all the firefighters in your prayers, too. This fire has been burning for over a week.
We are on the coast about 2 hours away from the fire in Redding, then to the south of us about 3 hours is the Mendocino fire and three hours to the northeast of us is the southern Oregon fire in Grants Pass. It's just devastating. Worst fire season ever. So many affected. But we are praying for the Lord to be glorified through these tragic events and that people would realize how fragile life is and  turn to Him.

Thanks for your prayers!

You are the Potter - Word Art Wednesday (340 & 341)

Hello Delightful Friends and Family!

Here is my card for this weeks Word Art Wednesday!  Our sponsor is Stamp Simply Ribbon Store and Imagine That! (digital).  I hope you'll be able to play along - you have 2 weeks to play and can link up 5 new projects a week.  The challenge is Anything Goes - Family Friendly.  We have so many great projects/cards linked up each week, it is so encouraging seeing so many play along.  Thanks so much to our two sponsors for provided the prizes!!! Be sure to visit their blogs and be inspired by their design teams!

Ingredients: 

Stamp: Thinking of You Rose (Stamp Simply Ribbon Store - our sponsor this week!); I stamped it with Distress Ink Victorian Rose to give it a "no line" watercolor look. 

Zig Clean Color Real Brush: Light Carmine, Olive Green, Mid Green, Yellow, and Pink.  Silver Black Velvet brush #4

Paper: Base (Neenah bright white 80#); Designer Paper: Beau Jardin (Penny Black 6x6 paper pad); Strathmore 140# cold press watercolor paper.

Dies: Lawn Fawn Peek A Boo Backdrop; Spellbinders Nestabilities Circle and Scallop Circle dies;           

  I printed the Scripture Art on white vellum.

I probably should have put a little more thought into this card to fit the verse.  If I were to do it again, I would put the rose in a pottery container!

What a wonderful verse to remind us that we have been created by our heavenly Father. He knows each imperfection in this clay called Natalie! He tenderly keeps molding and forming me into His Son's image and when there is a nick or mar in me, He gently works on that area of my life and in His timing and His adjustments in the temperature He smooths over those spots to remove the wrinkles or sometimes it's just a little washing of Word in my life that produces something beautiful in His eyes. I am so grateful that I am in His hands. 

Thanks for taking the time to visit! And have a blessed week.

Be strong therefore! WAW #332-333

Hello Delightful friends and family!

Word Art Wednesday our Anything Goes - Family Friendly challenge #332-333 starts today! It's a two week challenge and you can link up 5 new projects a week for a chance of winning a prize.  Our sponsor this week is Winnie & Walter be sure and check out their shop and blog for lots of creative inspiration! Maybe you will be the winner of the $25 gift card. They are involved in the Mega Sponsor Blog Hop that ends this Friday (May 4) with lots of prizes so check that out too.  

I really enjoyed coloring this Penny Black stamp (Aviary) with my Zig Clean Color Brushes and look forward to using it again, maybe coloring with Prismacolor pencils or Copics.  I stamped with Archival Tree Branch to give a more natural feel, no dark lines. I've used Strathmore 140# cold press watercolor paper. The only thing I would change is to print the sentiment on vellum.  It just looks a little odd in the photo.  It's not quite so bad in person, but it does take away from the roof line on the birdhouse. Perhaps if I had resized it a bit smaller it would have been better.  I'm still learning the art of digital images!  I usually have the Scripture Art printed in a couple different sizes ahead of time so I never know how it's going to work on the card! 

Note to self: print on vellum and have a variety of sizes to work with! 

Here is the Scripture art that is free to use if you'd like to use it in the challenge:

What a wonderful promise to King Asa in 2 Chronicles 15.  He was encouraged by these words and continued to remove the idols and restored the altar of the Lord.  A lesson for us for sure.  It's not always easy to do what's right in the Lord's sight especially in our culture. People mock and try to cause you trouble.  But if you seek the Lord, the Word of God says "He will be found by you" .  I'm so glad that even when we fail, God truly does show us grace and mercy. Of course we need to repent and return to Him to receive that grace and mercy! We are to be "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" and when we remember that He is faithful and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, it enables us to stand strong and be obedient to His Word. So I want to encourage you today to be strong in the Lord Jesus and when you are feeling weak and inadequate (that's not really a bad thing) He then can be your strength and will be with you in the work He has called you to do. To God be the all the glory - His faithfulness endures to every generation!

Thanks for visiting today!!

Need Wisdom? Word Art Wednesday Anything Goes Challenge

Hey Delightful Friends and Family! 

 Hope is all going well, I'm finally over this nasty cough and congestion.  That was my second bout with the crud and I'm so done with it!  Glad that Spring is finally here, although I call our Humboldt County weather "psycho spring" because #1 you have to dress in layers #2 it can be raining, then sunshine, then raining, then windy, then hailing all within an hour or two.  Crazy weather is our normal Spring season!  

Well it's time for our Anything Goes Challenge (Family Friendly) #330 & 331, over at the Word Art Wednesday Blog.  Hope you'll play along.  I've used a couple of items for this challenge from our Sponsor's store called Stamp Simply. Be sure and visit the shop and blog and get inspired. Thank you Sharon Johnson! We appreciate our faithful sponsors! 

Here is my card:

This die set called Coffee or Tea? has two different sizes of cups to choose from, check it out HERE.  I've used the larger cup and handle and now that I'm looking at the picture I see I forgot to add the "steam", it's somewhere on my craft table because I know I diecut it out! 

I diecut the cup from watercolor paper, then stamped the rose, masking off most of the stem.  This stamp set is called Thinking of You Rose.  It is an exclusive Stamp Simply set and you can see all of the additional stamps included in the set HERE. I think I need to get the Rose die that coordinates with this! After stamping the rose with Archival black ink, I colored the image with green Zig Clean Color Brushes (leaves & stem) and some of the red that was on my palette for the rose, then added Antique Linen (Distress ink) around the edges. The cup is popped up with dimensional tape. I also "distressed" the doily before adhering it to the pattern paper (Webster's Pages - from my box of 6x6 paper pads I am hoarding!). The Scripture Art this week is from the epistle of James chapter 1 verse 5.  I cut it out using a Fishtail Banner die (My Favorite Things) and the finishing touches are the bow and some red bling!

You can link up 5 projects each week for the challenge and also grab the free Scripture Art and use it, too!

This week we are looking at James 1:5 and are challenged to consider how we can rely on the Lord to give us wisdom if we ask. It takes faith to ask for it.  Are you needing wisdom?  I know I sure am, EVERY day!  Knowing that if I pray and ask for wisdom, the Lord will give it to me is a fabulous promise.  Have you ever gone through a trial and just didn't know how to proceed, but then you prayed out of desperation?  You needed wisdom and direction to know what to do and then "the light goes on" and you receive the knowledge and help you need "out of the blue" well, there are no coincidences, the Lord knows what we need and when.  But He also wants us to learn that the testing of our faith is going to produce patience, He wants us to ask in faith, believing He will direct us.  If you continue reading this chapter in James, there are so many faith building lessons that can help each of us grow spiritually - our goal is to reflect Jesus Christ, our Savior to this lost and dying world. So let's be doers of the Word and not just hearers. (you will find that in James chapter 1 also, it's just full of great doctrine for successful Christian living.  To God be the glory!

Thanks for visiting and if you read this long post, I thank you and pray that the Lord blesses you real good!! 

Mustard Seed Challenge #7 and CAS-ual Friday#175 Challenge

Hello Delightful friends and family (again!) this is my second post!

I'm playing along with the Mustard Seed Challenge Blog - the challenge is to make a card that features relationships.  I thought that the sentiment fit perfectly for this challenge. Not only do we thank our friends but we give thanks for our friends!  I will also be linking up at CAS-ual Fridays #175 (use those pattern papers).

I've colored this using Zig Clean Color Brushes. The stamp sets I've used are Sweet n Sassy Pretty Potted Florals set and Hampton Arts Happy set. I've used the Cottage Cutz Cross Stitched Oval Die.  The Designer Paper is Bella Blvd Barn Yard (green) and Doodlebug Design Fun in the Sun.  This card is a sample of one of the cards we will be making in my CrafterNoon card class at Scrapper's Edge in July.

Thanks so much for visiting!

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  Proverbs 18:24