TCC154 Your Labor in the Lord

Hi Friends! 

Welcome to The Card Concept #154 {Happy Mother’s Day} Challenge!

For those of you who are not familiar with The Card Concept Challenge, it is a bi-weekly challenge that uses an inspiration photo for you to create a card. 

You can choose one style and/or a combination of card making styles, the choice is yours!  Plus, our Design Team of ten ladies create a card to inspire you. 

This beautiful table setting looks like a perfect way to celebrate with your Mother or another special lady in your life.  I was inspired by the flowers as well as the blues and white to create a simple Mixed Media card.

I am also linking this card to the Simon Monday “Add a Quote” Challenge along with the Word Art Wednesday #489-#490 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit The Card Concept, or the other challenge sites yet, I encourage you to do so- fabulous inspiration from all! 

To create this card:

Lightly tap Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide Ink pads onto a silicone crafting mat, spritz with water and press a piece of white cardstock into the ink. 

Lift the panel and re-press into the ink until you are satisfied with the background, drying with a heat tool.

De-static the lower right-hand side of the panel with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sentiment from the retired Serve the Lord stamp set (Divinity Designs formerly Our Daily Bread Designs) with Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Trim the edges of the background panel and mount onto a white card base.

De-static another panel of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the leaves and flowers from the retired Choose Happiness stamp set (Stampin’ Up!) with Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the images with water-based markers and fussy-cut.

Mount the leaves and flowers onto the card front.

Use a clear glitter pen to add sparkle to the flowers and finish off the card with an extra fine white paint pen.

Stamp Sets: Choose Happiness (retired Stampin’ Up!), Serve the Lord (retired ODBD/Divinity Designs LLC)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink, Tim Holtz™ Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Peacock Feathers Distress Ink, Stampin' Write Markers- Lemon Lime Twist, Wild Wasabi, Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen, Extra Fine White Paint Pen

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White

Tools/Accessories: Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Clear Embossing Powder, Water Spritzer Bottle

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by!  We hope you will have the time to create a card based on our inspiration photo and join us at The Card Concept! The challenge is open until May 10^th at noon EDT.

TCC136 Bright Blooms

Hi Friends!

Welcome to The Card Concept #136 {Bright Florals} Challenge! 

I love the texture of the tiled background as well as all of the beautiful, bright blossoms and I was inspired to create a fairly clean Mixed Media card! 

I am also participating with the Simon Says Monday "Going Around in Circles" Challenge along with the Word Art Wednesday #440-#441 "Anything Goes" Challenge and the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog #135 Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge (top across Watercolor-Circles- Die Cut and diagonal Watercolor-Embossing- Bright Colors). 


I used the retired SU! set, Choose Happiness which is several years old as well as the older digi set, Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher (this is at least two years old).  

To create this card:

Print out the Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher (Power Poppy by Marcella) onto white cardstock.  Color the image using watercolor pencils, water-based markers and water soluble graphite pencils.

Die cut the image with a stitched circle die and using distress oxide ink, lightly stencil the background.

Mount the circle onto a die-cut black circle. Apply shimmer with a clear shimmer pen to the petals and a green shimmer pen to the leaves.

On a piece of watercolor paper, use turquoise watercolor powder along with distress oxide inks and distress stains to add color to the background.  Dry with a heat tool and emboss with a  3D Tin Tile embossing folder.

Add additional color with distress stain, dry with the heat tool and once you are satisfied with the color, apply pearl texture paste to add shimmer.  Distress the edges with a distressing tool and mount onto a piece of black cardstock.

Adhere the background panel to a white card base, add the focal image with dimensional foam and add the embossed sentiment to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher (digi image-Power Poppy by Marcella), Choose Happiness (retired Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Black Printer Ink, Versafine™ Onyx Black, Derwent™ Watercolor Pencils and Water-Soluble Graphite Pencil, Stampin’ Write Markers-Crushed Curry, Poppy Parade, Tangerine Tango, Pool Party, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi; Brushos® Turquoise Watercolor Powder, Tim Holtz™ - Tumbled Glass, Broken China and Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide, Picket Fence and Peacock Feathers Distress Stain; Faber-Castell® Texture Luxe™ Pearl Texture Paste, Wink of Stella™ Clear and Green Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black; Watercolor

Tools/Accessories: Gemini, Jr™, My Favorite Things Stitched Circle STAX Dies, Sizzix™ Circles Dies; 3D Tin Tile Embossing Folder, Memory Box™ Distressed Tula Stencil, Stencil Brush, Embossing Buddy®, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by!  I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Bright Florals} photo and link up to our gallery at The Card Concept- we would love to see what inspired you! The challenge is open until June 8^th at noon EST.

1 Tim 6:6 But Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain

Hi Friends!!

I am finally having a chance to post some of the cards that I created this week in between working on organizing, etc. in preparation for our upcoming windows/exterior doors installation :-)

Also, while I have certain stamp sets out, I am trying to create a few cards to give them some "love", plus I found some items "ready to go" in my stash- I love what I can find when I am able to organize, lol!

I had the butterflies along with the flowers already stamped, colored and fussy-cut/punched in my stash as well as the digital verse sentiment (already printed and die cut).

I paired them with an embossed panel (again in my stash) and once I had all of my elements together, I used the layout from this week’s Freshly Made Sketches #404 Sketch Challenge along with the International Art & Soul #67 “Things with Wings” Challengeand the Word Art Wednesday #405-#407 “Anything Goes” Challenge to create the card .  

If you have not had a chance to drop by the above challenge sites yet, I hope you do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

Stamp Sets: Choose Happiness, Papillon Potpourri (both retired Stampin’ Up!), Scripture Sentiment (free digi from the Word Art Wednesday challenge blog)

Ink/Mediums: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin’ Write Markers- Calyso Coral, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, Tangerine Tango,  Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen, Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Gemini™ Die Cutting Machine,  Ornate Lace Embossing Folder (Crafters Companion™), MFT Rectangle Dies,  Elegant Butterfly Punch (retired SU!), AquaPainter™, Pearls

Thanks again for taking the time to visit! I hope you have a great weekend and have a chance to stop by again soon!

I Can Do All Things Through Christ

Hi Friends!

I created several one-layer cards using the retired Stampin’ Up! set, Choose Happiness for the leaves and flowers along with a verse sentiment from Words of Encouragement (a current set still available at the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store).  

The background was created with splattered distress oxide ink and the flowers were adhered to the front.

I will be linking this card to the Just Us Girls #503 Wild Card Week “Splash Something on Your Card” Challenge, the Papercraft Crew #349 “Birds and Butterflies” Challenge and the Color My Heart #357 “Tic-Tac-Toe” Challenge (top across, diagonal and far left down columns).

If you have not had a chance to stop by the challenge sites, I hope you will find the time to do so- wonderful galleries and inspiration from all!

To create this card:

Fold a piece of white cardstock in half for the card base.  Press the Distress Oxide ink pads (see colors below) onto a silicone mat, spritz with water and “smoosh” the front of the card base into the ink to create the splattered background.  Once the background has dried, stamp the leaves and sentiment with Versafine™ Black Onyx ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

The flowers were also stamped with Versafine™ Black Onyx ink onto another piece of white cardstock  and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the flowers and leaves with water-based markers and fussy-cut the flowers.

Adhere the flowers directly onto the card front (I split one of the flower petals in half), allowing the edges of the central flower to "curl" up from the card front.

Finish off with a clear glitter pen on the petals and a white paint pen for the flower centers.

Stamp Sets: Choose Happiness (retired Stampin’ Up!), Words of Encouragement (Stamp Simply)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Tumbled Glass, Broken China; Stampin’ Write Markers- Pink Pirouette, Sweet Sugarplum, Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride, Sweet Sugarplum, Mossy Meadow, Sage Shadow; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen, Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White

Accessories: Embossing Buddy®, Clear Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™

Stay tuned for the rest of the "set" created with these images- I plan to share them in a later post :-)

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- hugs and I hope you have a great Labor Day week!

TCC118 When I Need A Friend

Hi Friends!

Welcome to The Card Concept #118 {Cacti Clusters}Challenge!  I was inspired by the colors of the succulents as well as the images to pull out the Sweet Succulents Stamp Set (Technique Tuesday) and create a Classy and Elegant/Mixed Media card!

This will be the last challenge at The Card Concept until September.  We take a break over the summer to give our Designers time to spend with their families as well as take a vacation or two :-).  We will be back in the beginning of September with another round of inspiration photos for sure!

I paired the Sweet Succulents Stamp Set (Technique Tuesday) with a sentiment from Choose Happiness (Stampin’ Up!).    I have owned the Sweet Succulents set for a while and this is the first time I have had a chance to ink it up (still working on goal of giving all of my stamps some “love”).

I will also be linking this card to the Try Stamping On Tuesday #413 Sketch Challenge along with the Word Art Wednesday #392-#393 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit us at The Card Concept or the other challenge sites yet, I hope you will find time to do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the succulent images from Sweet Succulents with Versafine™ Onyx Black, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, color the images with water-based markers, colored pencils and distress oxide inks.  Once you are satisfied with the coloring, fussy-cut the images and set aside.

2). Using a stitched rectangle die, die cut another piece of white cardstock for the middle frame, use the next smaller stitched rectangle die to die cut a piece of green designer paper, a stitched circle die to die cut a piece of white cardstock and the same size circle die to die cut two pieces of blackberry cardstock.

3). Layer the white and green die cut rectangles together, add the lace strip along with the wide blackberry satin grosgrain ribbon (wrap the ends of the ribbon behind the back of the panel).  Mount the panel onto a piece of blackberry cardstock and adhere to the white card base.

4). Overlap the two blackberry stitched circle dies to create a small border for the white stitched circle die cut.  Layer together and mount onto the card front with dimensional foam.

5).  Mount the fussy cut image onto the die cut circle using dimensional foam and use a clear shimmer pen to add shimmer to the succulent images.

6). Using the same steps as in Step #1, stamp the sentiment from the retired Stampin’ Up! Set, Choose Happiness using Versafine™ Onyx Black ink, emboss with clear embossing powder, trim and mount onto blackberry cardstock and adhere to the card front.

7). Add a few pearls to the upper right hand corner to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Sweet Succulents (Technique Tuesday), Choose Happiness (Stampin’ Up!)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz™ Distress Oxide Inks-Bundled Sage, Seedless Preserves; Stampin’ Write Markers (all retired)-Sage Shadow, Orchid Opulence, Bordering Blue, Mellow Moss; Zig® Clean Color Real Brush Markers- Violet, Pale Green, Olive Green; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss (Stampin’ Up!); misc. designer paper- from my stash, not sure of manufacturer

Tools/Accessories: Big Shot™;  My Favorite Things™ Dies- Stitched A2 Rectangle Sets 1 & 2, Stitched Circles; AquaPainter™, Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, White Lace and 1 ¼” Wine Grosgrain Satin Ribbon (from my stash), Pearls

Thanks again for taking the time to visit! I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Cacti Clusters}  photo and link up to our gallery at The Card Concept- we would love to see your interpretation!! The challenge is open until Monday, July 8^th at noon (EDT).

Update: My hubby, Dave is still recovering in the hospital and after a few very rough days, but he seems to be doing so much better!  We found out that he did have Stage 1 prostate cancer as well, so we are so blessed that he no longer has to worry about bladder cancer or prostate cancer :-)  

He still has the rare Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (Waldenstroms or WM for  short).  He had several years of chemo/immunotherapy from 2014-2018, so while there is no cure for WM, he had a positive response to the treatment and his numbers for the WM look good so far! 

Hugs and thanks for all of your prayers and well wishes!  Praise the Lord, He is answering the prayers!!

TCC112 Your Labor Is Not In Vain

Hi Friends!

It's time for The Card Concept #112 {Cottage Florals} Challenge!  

Isn’t this photo gorgeous?  I love the colors of the flowers, the distressed wood as well as the wonderful foliage and decided to create a Shabby Chic Mixed Media card!

This month has been a month of saying “good-bye” to two of our friends as they went home to be with the Lord.  I served with both of them on Sunday mornings on our finance committee and this verse was one of their favorites. 

 Both men were wonderful examples of serving the Lord with all of their heart and will be greatly missed.  It is such a comfort though to know that they had accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior and we will see them again one day in heaven. 

I am confident that they both received a "Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant" from the Lord and I can only pray that I will be as faithful as they were in serving Him with all of my heart all of the days of my life here on earth.  

I am also linking this card to Retro Rubber #107 Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge- middle row down (Sparkle- Leaves- Heat Embossing), the Work It Wednesday March 2019 “Spring Flowers” Challenge and the Word Art Wednesday #380-#381 “Anything Goes” Challenge. 

For the Retro Rubber Challenge, you need to use older stamps.  The Serve the Lord stamp set (retired Our Daily Bread Designs) is from 2011 and Choose Happiness (retired Stampin’ Up!) from 2014.  Also, it is difficult to see the shimmer on the flower petals, but trust me, they are sparkling  :-)

If you have not had a chance to visit us at The Card Concept or the other challenge sites yet, I hope you will find time to do so- fabulous inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static two pieces of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool.   Using Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink, stamp three of the floral image from Choose Happiness (retired Stampin’ Up!) along with multiples of the branch image onto the panel, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool. 

2). Once the embossing has cooled, watercolor the images using water-based markers (the colors I used are listed below).  Fussy cut the images and set aside.

3). On a piece of woodgrain designer paper (from the retired Adventure Abounds designer series Stack), use a stencil with a putty knife to apply crackle texture paste.  Once the paste has dried, apply distress stain to color the designer paper and create the background.  Distress the edges and mount onto a piece of black cardstock. 

4). Ink the sentiment from Serve the Lord (retired Our Daily Bread Designs) using Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink, stamp onto a piece of white cardstock, dilute a few of the colors of the distress stain and apply to the sentiment.  Trim the panel, distress the edges and mount onto a piece of black cardstock (I used a scrap piece of chipboard).  

5). Add a piece of white crocheted lace along with a piece of black seam binding to the card front (wrap the ends of the seam binding behind the panel).  Mount the entire panel onto a white card base.

6).  Cut one of the fussy cut flowers in half.  Adhere the sentiment using dimensional foam and adhere the fussy-cut stems and flowers around the sentiment. 

7).  Use a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the flower petals and an extra fine white paint pen to add a few white highlights to the floral centers.

8). Add pearls to the sentiment to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  Choose Happiness (retired Stampin’ Up!), Serve the Lord (retired Our Daily Bread Designs)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Stampin’ Write Markers-Blushing Bride, Rich Razzleberry, Calypso Coral, retired Gable Green, Lucky Limeade, Yo-Yo Yellow; Tim Holtz® Distress Stain- Black Soot, Frayed Burlap, Stormy Sky; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen, Sharpie® Extra Fine White Paint Pen

Cardstock/Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, retired Stampin’ Up! Adventure Abounds Designer Series Stack

Tools/Accessories:  Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Chipboard, Distressing Tool, Wendy Vecchi™ Crackle Texture Paste, The Crafters Workshop™ Well Rounded Stencil, Palette Knife, White Crochet Lace, ½” Black Seam Binding, Pearls

Thank you for taking the time to visit!  Just a reminder that The Card Concept is a bi-weekly challenge that has an inspiration photo along with a suggestion of design styles that you can choose from to create your card- Clean and Simple, Clean and Graphic, Clean and Layered, Shabby Chic, Freestyle Collage, Classy and Elegant and Mixed Media (or you can combine several styles for your own style).

I hope I have inspired you to create your own card based on our {Cottage Florals} photo and link up to our gallery at The Card Concept- we would love to see your interpretation!! The challenge is open until Monday, April 15th at noon (EST).