Thanks Paper Smooches! Word Art Wednesday Challenge

Hello Delightful Friends!  (sorry for being a bit late posting this)
So glad you are here and I hope you will be able to join our challenge this week at Word Art Wednesday featuring our sponsor Paper Smooches!!!  I've used the Paper Smooches "Best Buds" stamp and attempted to do a no-line watercoloring technique.  As always, the Anything Goes, Family Friendly Challenge runs for two weeks and Paper Smooches is sponsoring the prize of a $25 gift code for a random drawn winner.  Thank you, Kim!!

The Scripture Art is from Philippians 2:16 and isn't required to play along but it is free to use if you choose to!

Are you holding on to God's Word as the plumb line for truth in this day we are living?  My goodness things are certainly in an uproar in the earthly sense. (in the spiritual sense, I know God is in control!)  I am so glad I can keep my eyes and heart focused on the Lord Jesus and knowing Him, keeps me steady and strong in this crazy world.  In our Scripture today, the apostle Paul was troubled about the believers there in the Philippian church, so much that he had to write to them about his concerns.  He was hoping that the work he had done there was fruitful and that they were standing strong in the Lord against the external conflicts going on around them. If you read the entire letter, you will be encouraged, especially if you are going through a difficult season!  Knowing that you can have joy and peace in the midst of difficult circumstances is truly based on a life that is completely committed to Jesus Christ. God stands ready, willing, and able to help you in every facet of your life if you ask Him.  

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Happy Thoughts - 30 Day Coloring Challenge

Hi there Delightful friends and family,

Can't believe I've posted 4 days in a row! Wow!  Today is going to a busy one but I finished up this card, it's been a card in progress.  Lots of stamping, lots of coloring and a bunch of doodling!  Finally I've finished it and can get it posted.  So as you read in the title this is for the 30 Day Coloring Challenge.
  
This is also a card that I was working on for a class to be held in April at Scrapper's Edge for the CrafterNoon card class I teach.

Ingredients:

Stamp: Paper Smooches Best Buds

Dies: Avery Elle Happy

Paper: Card Stock, blue, green, black; Neenah bright white (base) Strathmore 140lb cold press watercolor paper

Pens: Micron .30; Signa Uni-ball white pigment ink pen

Fun Foam (lime); Sizzix Big Shot

Thanks for visiting and have a colorful day!

Whenever I am afraid I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3

For God So Loved - Word Art Wednesday

Hello and God bless to my Delightful Friends and Family!

Sorry for the late posting.  I usually get the post for the Word Art Wednesday Challenge written the night before and last night I went to bed instead.  It finally caught up with me!  I've been burning the candle at both ends, as the saying goes, and have had an awful upper respiratory "thing" going on so I chose to go to bed early. So here I am better late than never!

Here is my card for this weeks challenge #260 and #261 (I'm afraid it is not my best work and I really wanted to start over but I just couldn't muster up the creative juices and time was getting away from me.) I like the technique I chose but it's the design of it that makes me "scrunch up my nose". It's missing some design element, I may have to do another one and post the "better" version, IMHO. I love the digital Scripture Art but I'm still learning to resize and "tweak" it a bit to fit my cards. I've printed it out on Vellum and I need to find a better way to display it. I think I will move the Scripture Art to the inside and use a stamp from the Paper Smooches set that goes with the image.
  I work on Publisher so if you have any tips that would be really great!

Ingredients:

Paper: 140lb cold press Strathmore; navy card stock, white Neenah bright white card stock for the base.

Stamp: Paper Smooches - A Blessed Christmas

Dies: Simon Says Stamp! Stitched Circle

Ink: Archival Jet Black; Distress Inks (Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire and Broken China)

Coloring Medium: Zig Clean Color Brushes

Ribbon: from Michael's

I believe the beautiful Scripture from John 3:16 used today is perfect for our Christmas season.  Jesus was our gift from God the Father to restore fallen mankind to Himself.  He initiated the restoration process with the beautiful promise of eternal life.  How could anyone say no to that? All we have to do is believe.

I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, do you?  I hope so... He is the only way that leads to eternal life.

Thanks for visiting and I pray your week is a blessed one!

Waiting for Summer - Word Art Wednesday 234 & 235

Hello Delightful friends and family!
So much going on! Little League baseball and girls softball are winding down for the grandkids so that's going to really help loosen up some time and enable me to get into my neglected (of late) craft room. I have to get my card class proposals in by the 10th (in 3 days! YIKES)  thankfully I have a good idea in what I'm doing, just got to get it down on paper and make some samples for the class board.
It's time for the new Anything Goes (family friendly) Challenge.  We have TWO wonderful sponsor this week and I've used one of  "All Dressed Up"images on my card.  Wendy Burns has the sweetest Etsy store and just love the digital images she's created, they are so cute!  Here is the link to her blog.  Hope you will take time to visit there.  Thanks so much Wendy!
Our second sponsor is the awesome online store PAPER SMOOCHES, they have some of  the cutest stamps and dies, I use them a lot in my classes.
Here is my card I shared at Word Art Wednesday:

I wanted to make the image look like she was looking in/ or/ out a window so I framed her by die cutting the Stitched Circle die from Simon Says Stamp! I used two of the dies to cut out the pattern paper. I used a piece of scrap paper from my stash and it matched perfectly with the background designer paper from Fancy Pants called Park Bench, I've been hording saving this paper for quite some time! I've colored this little darling with Copic Markers and then used the Atyou Spica glitter pens to color the teeny tiny flowers, greenery, butterflies and bees.  I love the braid in her hair and the green garland!  This image is called Waiting for Summer, isn't she the sweetest?  I've added three enamel dots to embellish so this card was easy to assemble.  This weeks Scripture comes from Proverbs 16:9 and I've cut it down and matted it with yellow card stock.

Here is a card I made for a class last week using a Paper Smooches image called Chubby Chums:

I water colored the image after stamping onto the Ranger Water color paper and I used Distress Markers, ink pads and waterbrush to color.  The graduation cap is a stamp and die from Stampers Anonymous called "Crazy Things", the border die is called Stitched Scallops from Lawn Fawn.  This is one of the three cards we did in class last week.  Just wanted to give a shout out and thanks to Paper Smooches for sponsoring us at Word Art Wednesday!

Here is the free Scripture Art that you can grab and use if you'd like when you play along with the challenge at Word Art Wednesday, you don't have to use it to play along but we love seeing it when you do!

A great verse to remind us to pray for  the Lord's direction in our lives.

Thanks for visiting and have a fantastic week!

Great Job!

Hello Delightful Friends and Family!

It's a beautiful day in our neck of the woods!  The sun is streaming in through the windows, oh wait, through dirty windows, oh yuck!  I think that means not only is spring here but spring cleaning, too!  I did find a moment last night to color (yay!) and make a card.  I will be sharing this at Simon Says Stamps(April Showers bring Spring Flowers) and Word Art Wednesday #178 Anything Goes.

Here is my colorful encouragement card:

I was inspired by the way the Designer (Nancy Penir) offset her flower to the side of her tag on her card.  But I was too late to play!

I've colored with Copic Markers and the tag is from the Tim Holtz Alterations Tag Collection Die set, the image is from Sizzix Stephanie Ackerman  Flowers #5 stamp and die set and the sentiment is from Paper Smooches - Good Gab.  The embossing folder is also a Stephanie Ackerman Sizzix product called Borders and Flowers. I've stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and Archival Jet Black ink (sentiment)

Thanks so much for visiting!  Have a blessed day.

The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples see His glory.  Psalm 97:6

Just a Note - a watercolor technique

Hello Delightful friends and family!
It's a gorgeous day here on the north coast of California!  Spring is definitely around the corner, our trees are budding and my wisteria is looking so pretty!  I must admit our winter has been extremely mild and I feel so bad for our east coast friends and family.  I hope and pray you are beginning to see some signs of spring!

I have a card to share that was inspired by Sandy Allnock's card and watercolor technique she calls Faux Glazed Glass.  I didn't use the same supplies and had to improvise and use what I had on hand, but I was happy with the results so thank you Sandy for the inspiration!!  This background is  watercolor that is layered with reds, orange and pinks (dried in between layers of color), with very little black and then some gold Perfect Pearls to add gold veins of color throughout.  I cut it down to make the square background and used some of the leftover paper to die cut the butterfly.  Beneath the pretty butterfly is a black butterfly mimicking the shadow.

The stamped and gold embossed sentiment is from Paper Smooches and the butterfly is a Spellbinder Shapeabilities die, the watercolor paper is from Ranger.  I will be sharing this card at Word Art Wednesday #175 Anything Goes.

Thanks for looking and have a blessed day!

Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.                      James 3:13

Card Full of Thanks and belated Congrats to my team!

Hello again Delightful Friends and Family,
I am supposed to be doing some work around the house instead of posting a card! Just couldn't help myself when I saw this sketch at Try Stampin' on Tuesday #192!  Easy peasy and I was wanting to try this stamping technique using different "thank you" stamps.  Hope you like my results!

Stamps: Paper Smooches; Dies: Spellbinder Nestabilities Oval (scallop and regular) and Lawn Fawn Stitched leaves. Ink: Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Field Greens mid-tone and Archival Jet Black

Base: Neenah Desert Storm, Bazzill Card Stock, not sure about the maker of the designer paper, it was in a Key Ingredient Kit from Taylored Expressions a couple of years ago.

Entering this at Word Art Wednesday #157 Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting!  Enjoy your day.

If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples.  You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  John 8:31-32

PS.  I'm a little bit late on this but CONGRATULATIONS to the World Series Champions: San Francisco Giants!  That's my team!!! Yay!! What a crazy season! And what a great series with the Kansas City Royals - very exciting! 

Madison Bumgarner (top)

Jeremy Affeldt and Brandon Crawford (below) 

 

Grateful

Hello Delightful friends and family!!
It's a beautiful Saturday and we had some much needed rain this week (hooray and thank you Lord!!)
Here is a thank you card I did a while back.  A real simple design and quick to put together.
The base is a pre-folded white A2 card.  Add a black layer to the base, then a teal card stock piece 1/8" smaller and run through the Cuttlebug in a "Thank You" embossing folder.  I've added ribbon then cut 3 rectangles using the Spellbinder die (A2 Basic Matting Dies).  I've used a sentiment from the Paper Smooches Blossoming Blooms, stamped with Archival Jet Black Ink and popped it up with dimensionals and that's it.  Easy peasy, quick 'n easy!

I will be entering this card at 

Word Art Wednesday #151 Anything Goes

Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge Blog

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the weekend!

The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.  Proverbs 16:17

Happy Anniversary, Love You Tons! (STS #27)

Hello Delightful friends and family!
What a quick month this has been! The grandkids are back in school (except Princess Tucker) so I'll have a bit more free time (well, in my mind anyway...) it seems I can always fill up that "free" time with housework and getting caught up on some work at the church.  I'm getting my craftroom organized, one area at a time, that's exciting!  My sweet hubby and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary last Friday and here is the card I made him.  I used the sketch from Seize the Sketch challenge blog.  This is their last challenge, they are closing down (bummer!) I really liked following the inspiration over there.  Here is the card for their last challenge:

 I paper pieced the elephants instead of coloring them.  This stamp set is from Lawn Fawn.

 Inside sentiment is from Paper Smooches and I colored the hearts lightly with a Copic Marker.

I will also be entering this at Word Art Wednesday #147 Anything Goes

The last few baseball seasons we've been going to a couple of San Francisco Giant games each year and we always try to schedule our trip for Fellowship Day at AT&T Park where the Christian ballplayers share their testimonies. The last three years have included a concert with a popular Christian music artist.  This year was Natalie Grant.  Wow!! It was great!  Here are some pictures I took of the game on Friday night and two following the Saturday game for Fellowship Day.  Some of the proceeds for the event went to the Salvation Army and the athletes paid for the concert.  Pretty nice and a real blessing!

  Madison Bumgartner pitching

Michael Morse hitting a homerun!!

Bobby Evans (VP & Assistant GM), Santiago Casilla, Travis Ishikawa, Jeremy Affeldt, & Ryan Vogelsong.

Natalie Grant leading a time of worship!

We had a wonderful time with our friends the Clarks and hope to go again next summer, thanks to the San Francisco Giants organization!  Go Giants!

Thanks for visiting and letting me share a bit with you!

Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His" and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."  2 Timothy 2:19

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!

Need to Venti?

Hello Delightful friends and family!
Here is a card I made this afternoon.  I saw the challenge at Inspired By #119 and knew I had to play along! I love the red gingham and the touch of gray in the inspiration picture. ( I was too late to play in the challenge, but loved the inspiration!)

I will also be playing along at CAS(E) this Sketch #86

Here is my card:

I'll be sharing this at Paper Smooches (Anything Goes)

 

Thanks for visiting!! Enjoy the weekend.

Ingredients: Designer Paper (scrap in stash!); Stamps: Paper Smooches - Hot Concoctions; Ink: Memento: Rich Cocoa, Espresso; Hero Arts Shadow Ink - Mid Tone Red Royal;

Techniques: I've used Copics to color the cup lid and added Glossy Accents to the hearts, the gingham check was used to paper piece the cup and add a small fish tail banner.

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.  Proverbs 3:3

Feel Better Soon!

Hello Delightful friends and family,
Another card to share!  I really enjoyed working with this sketch and I used my sewing machine too!  Love this fun stamp set from Paper Smooches (Healthy Vibes) and I've been hoarding this paper from Fancy Pants called Park Bench.  I'll be entering this card at Color Throw Down #300 (light blue, navy, pumpkin) I've used Memento Nautical blue ink to stamp both the image and sentiment.   I colored the heart with Copic markers and added Glossy Accents for dimension.

Here's the sketch I've used from Seize the Sketch #24 (from Vicki)

I'll be entering this at Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge (anything goes) also.

  

That's it from me, thanks for visiting!  This card will be going to a pastor friend of ours who was scheduled to have a triple bypass this morning but they were only able to fix one of the arteries. Please keep Pastor Andy lifted up in prayer for healing.  

For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.  1 John 3:20