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!

Funny Farm- Unforgettable Birthday

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you are having a relaxing weekend!  I had a chance to spend some creative time today and designed a card using a new to me stamp set, Funny Farm from Unity Stamp Company. 

This is such a fun set and I decided to create a birthday card incorporating the Freshly Made Sketches #400 Sketch Challenge along with the Simon Says Wednesday “Anything Goes” Challenge and Simon Says Work It Wednesday Aug/Sept “Celebrate” Challenge into the design.

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

I heat embossed the main image as well as the sentiment, die cut the main image with a pierced rectangle die, created a few photo corners by hand and added silver brads along with ribbon and lace from my stash to finish off this easy layered card.

Stamp Sets: Funny Farm (Unity Stamp Company)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black,  Versamark™

Cardstock/Designer Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, misc. red dsp (not sure of manufacturer)

Accessories: Big Shot™, Divinity Designs Pierced Rectangle Dies, Embossing Buddy®, Clear and White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Silver Mini Brads, White Crochet Lace, 1” Black Satin Ribbon, ½” Black/White Checked Ribbon

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- hugs and I hope you will visit again soon!

Refresh My Soul

Hi Friends!

I am sharing another card that I designed using the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps May release stamp sets, Refresh My Soul and May Stamp of the Month, Scripty Thoughts.

I love the cute cactus images as well as the sentiments in the Refresh My Soul stamp set- perfect for cards, scrapbook pages, Bible Art Journaling and so much more!  Also, the May Stamp of the Month, Scripty Thoughts has so many possibilities for sentiments- a wonderful set to add to your "stash" :-)

Also, don’t forget that you can receive the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps May Stamp of the Month, Scripty Thoughts free with a net $75 US$ order (after all discounts and before shipping) plus any net $75 US receives free shipping! 

Plus, if you love the new release as much as I do, you can order the Early Bird Pre-Order for $75 (US$) by May 9^th, save over $10 off the regular price plus receive the May Stamp of the Month, Scripty Thoughts free along with free shipping and handling- what a great deal!

I enjoy participating in online challenges- they help me stretch my creativity a bit and get out of my “box”, so to speak.  I used the Freshly Made Sketches FMS335 Sketch for the layout and am also participating with the Just Add Ink “Just Add ‘O’” (O= Oval) along with the Dragonfly Journeys #117 “Just Add Sequins” Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge sites or the SNSS Blog/FB Page yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). De-static a piece of white cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the various cactus images from Refresh My Soul with archival black ink onto the prepared cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Watercolor the images with water-based markers and fussy-cut each image.

2). Die cut a stitched oval from a piece of white cardstock. Die cut another oval from the next largest die from black cardstock. 

3). Die cut another piece of white cardstock with a stitched rectangle die.  Emboss the rectangle panel and oval with a woodgrain embossing folder.  Mount the die ovals together and mount the stitched rectangle panel onto the black card front.  Adhere both to the white card base.

4). De-static a scrap piece of black cardstock with an embossing powder tool, stamp the sentiments from Scripty Thoughts with embossing ink onto the prepared cardstock, apply white embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.  Trim the sentiment apart.

5). Loop a bit of metallic gold thread onto the card front, adhere the fussy cut cacti images along with the sentiment to the card front with dimensional foam.

6). Use a clear glitter pen to add shimmer to the images and finish off the card with a few blue sequins.

Stamp Sets:  Refresh My Soul, Scripty Thoughts (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Versamark™, Zig® Clean Color Markers- Green, Lt. Green, Pink, Purple, Blue, Lt. Blue; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black (both Stampin’ Up!)

Accessories: Big Shot™, MFT Dies- Stitched Oval STAX, A2 Rectangle Dies Set #1 &2; Woodgrain Textured Impressions™ Folder,  Embossing Buddy®, Clear and White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, AquaPainter™, Blue Sequins, Gold Metallic Thread

 Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and visit! Hugs and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Scene Silhouettes- Hope You Are Feeling So Very Loved

Hi Friends!

I am sharing another quick card that I created this past weekend using a few of Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps new December release stamp sets (check out this post for another card using some of the same stamps). 

As I mentioned in my previous post, several of the December release stamp sets are silhouettes which are perfect for scenes as well as masculine cards- I have paired this card with the new Thoughtful Words stamp set- I absolutely love the fonts on this set that Nina B. designed for Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps!!

 

Don’t forget that this month Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps is offering the Scene Silhouettes:Woodland stamp set free with any $60 order!!

I wanted to create a card for the As You Like It “Favourite Animal and Why?” Challenge and I decided to create a stylistic scene of our favorite place- Shenandoah National Park.  

My hubby and I love to drive along Skyline Drive and our favorite animal in the park would be the black bear (although we love all of the animals).  On one trip in the summer, we were fortunate to see ten bears in one day (several mothers with cubs) but there have been other trips where we will have any bear sightings. 

We also love bird watching and our favorite overlook at Shenandoah is Jewell Hollow (JH).  Since we are unable to hike (due to health reasons) and can only sight birds (or animals) from the drive, we generally do not see too many birds.  Occasionally we will see warblers, grosbeaks, indigo buntings, towhees and goldfinches but we did see a bald eagle on several separate trips this past year at JH.  It seems that possibly the JH Overlook was part of their daily “flyway” and if we arrived in the park on time to get to the JH Overlook by 11:30 am, we would see one fly by.  What a wonderful sight to behold- that majestic bird soaring so beautifully!! We were so thrilled to be able to see this and it is one of our favorite memories!!

I also used the same layout as my previous post- the Freshly Made Sketches #316 Sketch Challenge.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge sites or the SNSS Blog/FB Page yet, I encourage you to do so- gorgeous inspiration from all!

This card was another easy card to create- I cut a few masks for the “Blue Ridge” and sun, sponged distress oxide inks to create the landscape, stamped the bear and eagle images from Scene Silhouettes:Woodland with archival black ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder.  I masked the bear image before stamping the tree from the Scene Silhouettes:Trees stamp set (and embossing with clear embossing powder).

I added the sentiment from Thoughtful Words (also embossed with clear embossing powder) before matting all on black cardstock.

Quick and easy- again, you could just change the sentiment and have a quick card for many occasions!  

I think I will save this one for my hubby- his birthday is at the end of the month and we are hoping to be able to take a day trip to Shenandoah (depending on the weather, of course).  The bears will be hibernating but it is still a beautiful, peaceful drive in the winter and a great day to spend celebrating his birthday :-)

Stamp Sets:  Scene Silhouettes:Trees, Thoughtful Words, Scene Silhouettes: Woodland (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Broken China, Faded Jeans, Peacock Feathers, Picked Raspberry,  Twisted Citron, Wild Honey

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories/Tools: Big Shot™, Labels and Tags Framelits™ (retired Stampin’ Up!), Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, scrap paper for masking, sponge daubers

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by- hugs and I hope you can visit again soon!

SNSS December Release- Scene Silhouettes

Hi Friends!

I hope all of you had a great week/weekend! 

I had a chance to create several cards with Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps new December release stamp sets and I had so much fun! 

Free in December 2017 with $60 order 

Four of the new December stamp sets are silhouettes which are perfect for creating scenes for so many occasions as well as masculine cards- pair them with the new Thoughtful Words stamp set and you have endless possibilities!!

Plus, for the month of December, Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps is generously offering the Scene Silhouettes:Woodland 12 pc. clear stamp set free with any $60 order!!

I created six different cards this weekend and will be sharing them in separtate posts (since you know I love to incorporate online challenges :-)).  For this card I used the Freshly Made Sketches #316 Sketch Challenge for the layout and am also linking to the Addicted to Stamps and More #271 “Anything Goes” Challenge.

 

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge sites or the SNSS Blog/FB Page yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

This card features the Scene Silhouettes:Woodland stamp set along with the Scene Silhouettes:Trees and Thoughtful Words. 

I created masks from scrap paper for the snow banks as well as the moon, used distress oxide inks for the sky and shadows, then stamped the silhouette images with an archival black ink before heat setting with clear embossing powder.

 

I finished off the card with a heat embossed sentiment from Thoughtful Words on black cardstock and added a bit of shimmer with a clear glitter pen. 

Quick and easy- just change the sentiment and you could have a quick Christmas card, birthday, anniversary, etc.

Stamp Sets:  Scene Silhouettes:Trees, Thoughtful Words, Scene Silhouettes: Woodland (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide- Broken China, Faded Jeans, Seedless Preserves; Spectrum Noir™ Clear Glitter Pen

Paper/Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories/Tools: Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, scrap paper for masking

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- I will be posting additional cards soon, so I hope you will have a chance to stop by again! 

Hugs and have a blessed week, sweet friends!

We Three Kings

Hi Friends!

I had a chance to create a Christmas card this evening and decided to pull out the We Three Kings Clear Stamp set (designed by Korin Sutherland) available from Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps.  

I love the sentiments that come with this stamp set- so versatile and they reflect the true meaning of Christmas.

 

I love to participate in online challenges so I incorporated the Freshly Made Sketches #307 Sketch Challenge, the TGIF! #127 "Fun Tic-Tac-Toe" Challenge (far right column down- Die Cut- Doilies- Metallic) and the Jingle Belles “Embossing Around the Christmas Tree”Challenge (I used dry and heat embossing) into the design.

If you have not had a chance to visit the above challenge sites or the SNSS Blog/FB Page yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

1). Die cut a piece of white cardstock with a circle die.  Using a stencil brush, apply Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide Inks- Abandoned Coral at the bottom of the circle, Broken China in the middle and Faded Jeans at the top, blending the colors together. Dry with a heat tool.

2). De-static the circle with an embossing powder tool, ink the main image from WeThree Kings along with the star with Versafine™ Onyx Black Ink and stamp onto the circle (not all of the image fit onto this size diecut).  Apply clear embossing powder and heat set with the heat tool.  Once the embossing has cooled, dilute a small amount of white acrylic paint with water and use a paint brush to splatter a bit at the top of the circle for the additional “stars”.

3). Die cut a piece of black cardstock with another circle die (a bit larger than the focal image size) and adhere this circle behind the focal image to create a frame.  Ink and emboss the sentiment from We Three Kings in the same manner as step #2 above, once the embossing has cooled, trim and create the fishtail banner and mount onto black cardstock.

4). Trim a piece of white cardstock, dry emboss with a snowflake embossing folder and mount onto a black card front. 

5). Add a metallic snowflake doily directly to the card front (cut into four pieces- add two for the horizontal elements of the sketch) and mount the focal image along with the sentiment using dimensional foam.

6). Add a rhinestone to the center of the star to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets:  We Three Kings (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine™ Onyx Black, Tim Holtz® Distress Oxide Ink- Abandoned Coral, Broken China, Faded Jeans; White Titanium Acrylic Paint

Paper/Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White

Acessories/Tools: Embossing Buddy®, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Stitched Circle and Circle Dies, Hexagon Punch, Rhinestone, Stencil Brush, Paint Brush

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