Ye Shall Find Rest

It is time for another Word Art Wednesday Challenge. This week we're focusing on Matthew 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." The Lord wants us to get to know Him. That fact alone amazes me. He wants me to spend time with Him so that I can get to know Him better. And what does He promise that I'll find if I do take the time to get to really know Him? I'll find rest for my soul. We are in an incredibly busy season of life and physical rest is in short supply. While I realize this verse is talking about spiritual rest, I am open to any and all rest I can get! As we place our trust in the Lord and experience spiritual rest, this will lead to emotional rest. We can be less anxious about the things around us and our circumstances. This emotional rest then frequently leads to being able to get better physical rest. What a blessing!!

I wanted a card that would look special and yet be easy to make. For me that means a fancy fold card. I remembered this card I made last August when I was a guest designer for Our Daily Bread Designs. I loved that fold and decided to bring it back for today's card. For the card I used one piece of cardstock measuring 4.25" x 11" and another measuring 2.5" x 11". Each piece was scored along the 11" side at 2.75" and 5.5". A Scor-Pal makes the measuring and scoring so easy. A bone folder helps get crisp folds on each piece.

Bugaboo stamps was kind enough to provide this 4 Block Tulip Digi Stamp for me to use for today's card. Thanks Bugaboo!! I colored it with Copic markers and accented it with a white gel pen and some star dust stickles. After cutting it out, I double matted it before popping it up on the card with foam tape. I used 3 Standard Square (Large and Small) Spellbinders dies to die cut the verse panel and mats.

The teal cardstock behind the image and verse panels and on one of the interior panels was dry embossing used a Cuttlebug embossing folder and my Grand Calibur machine. A white panel provides a place to write a short message to the recipient. Star Dust Stickles on the patterned paper design finish off the card.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Recollections (teal), Georgia Pacific (white)
Patterned Paper: Recollections (Teal Paisley)
Stamps: WORDart by Karen, Bugaboo Digi Stamps (4 Block Tulip Square)
Copics: V20, 22, 25; G16, 14; R22, 24, 27, YG23, 25; B01
Tools/Embellishments: Spellbinders Dies (Classic Squares Large and Small), Stickles (Star Dust), Cuttlebug embossing folder (Anna Griffin-Honeysuckle Vines), Uni-Ball Signo White Gel Pen

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mod Squad Challenge - Ready for Spring
Scor-Pal More than One Fold Challenge - All Things Bright & Beautiful
Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Must use patterned paper
Dare 2B Artzy - Favorite Colors (I love teal in all of it's shades and I love green - this card uses lots of both)

Thanks for visiting with me today. I hope you'll come back again soon.

Mighty Waves of the Sea

Hello! I hope your week is going well. Mine has been a busy but good week. It's time for another Word Art Wednesday Challenge. This week we're focusing on Psalm 93:4, "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea." When you stand on the ocean shore and gaze out over the waves, you can't help but be amazed at the power and majesty of the ocean. Sometimes, the waves roll gently to shore and at other times they crash and roar. The Lord, the Creator of all, is mightier than the powerful waves of the ocean and in fact, controls their movements.  Sometimes in our lives, it seems like the waves of trials roar and crash against our souls and we wonder, "Does God know? Does He care?" He is mightier than those types of waves too. He does care and He is right there beside you to guide you safely to the shore. At least 15 times in the book of Psalms, God is spoken of as our refuge. My two favorites are: Psalm 57:1, "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." and Psalm 91:2, "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." If the trials in your life seem to be threatening to toss you in the billowing waves, turn to the Lord and allow Him to be your refuge.

When I read this week's verse, I knew the papers from the By the Shore collection by Our Daily Bread Designs would be perfect for it. I chose to make a center step card and used two of the papers from the collection on the front.

The sentiment panel was matted and popped up at an angle over a ribbon loop accented with a button and baker's twine. I die cut some birds from a scrap of patterned paper. After adhering them to the card front and sentiment panel, they were coated first with Wink of Stella and then with Nuvo Jewel Drops. I really like the epoxy look they have. A trio of sequins finishes off the card front.

For the interior decorating, a sentiment was stamped on another one of the patterned papers in the collection. This panel was matted and then adhered to the card interior.

The finished card is approx 5.5" square and will stand up for display.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Core'dinations (Black Iris), Recollections (kraft), Georgia Pacific (white)
Patterned Paper: Our Daily Bread Designs (By the Shore 6 x 6 pad)
Stamps: WORDart by Karen (Psalm 93:4), Morningstar Stamps (H63 Praying You Will Find wood block stamp)
Ink: VersaFine (Onyx Black)
Tools/Embellishments: Gina Marie Designs dies (Stitched Sky Die Set, Little Birds Die Set ), Nuvo Jewel Drops (clear), Wink of Stella Brush glitter pen (clear), Glossy Accents, Big Lots Craft Ribbon, The Paper Studio sequins, Walmart Button, Studio G baker's twine

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Alphabet Challenge Blog - Y is Your Choice
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge - Must Use Patterned Paper

Thanks for visiting with me today. I hope you'll have time to visit the Word Art Wednesday blog, pick up your free digi and see the projects the rest of the Design Team have made.

Ideal Beauty

I think this canvas is one of my first, if not the first, projects in the "mixed media" category. It is certainly my first canvas. At work, my boss wants to replace the poster type artwork with originals made by company employees and their families and have an art gallery type look. He provided the 16" x 20"canvases. I told him I work with paper not paint. He said, "That's OK. I don't care what you put on the canvas as long as you make some artwork."

I started with text tissue paper on the canvas. However, when I applied the acrylic paint over it, the text got completely covered. Lesson learned for the next canvas: use a baby wipe to lighten up the paint so you don't cover the paper underneath. I applied multiple shades of blue for the sky, and various greens for the grass. I used white gesso for the clouds and then later used texture paste and a stencil for addition texture on the clouds. (Click any picture to enlarge it)

I knew I wanted a tree but wasn't quite sure how to make it. I finally found a couple artists on Pinterest and YouTube that used hot glue strands to make the tree. It gives great texture and mimics bark really well. After the glue cooled, I painted it with multiple shades of brown for the bark and green for the leaves. I wanted some separation between the grass and sky, so I used a rubber stamp and dark green acrylic paint to stamp a row of bushes across the canvas. For additional texture, I colored texture medium with a medium colored green paint and used a stencil to add additional bushes on top.

I colored more texture medium with various shades of paint and used a brick stencil to make the path. After it dried, I put white acrylic paint in a fine tipped bottle and used it to make the grout. The Julie Nutting "Audrey" stamp was paper pieced. Copic markers were used to color her skin and hair and to add shading to her clothing. She was popped up over the canvas.

After printing the quote on white cardstock, I die cut it and layered it on additional die cuts for dimension. I inked the edges of the clouds and layered several in the sky. I sprayed them with some glimmer mist spray to give them a shimmery look. Some paper flowers and paper punched butterflies add the finishing touches.

Supplies:
Stamps: Penny Black wood stamp (Splendor), Prima Julie Nutting cling stamp (Audrey)
Inks: Memento (Tuxedo Black), Distress Ink (Dusty Concord, Tumbled Glass)
Papers: Recollections Printed Tissue, Hot Off the Press patterned paper (Lavender Rosebuds), Core'dinations cardstock (purple glitter)
Paint: Anita's Acrylic Paint (Hunter Green, Foliage, Espresso, Earth Brown, Latte), Craft Smart Acrylic Paint (Pale Blue, Apple Tart, Bright Palm Denim), Folk Art Acrylic Paint (Metallic Pearl White), Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint (Red Apple)
Copics: BV0000, 000, 00, 11, 13, 17; E00, 11, 31, 35, 37; R20; YR20, 24
Other: Artist's Loft White Acrylic Gesso, Teresa Collins Modeling Paste, Deco Art Texture Medium, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist (pearl), Want2Scrap stencils, Ad Tech Hot Glue Sticks, Ranger Distress Collage Medium, Art C Brass Template, The Paper Studio Poppies & Paperie White Beaded Micro Flowers, Fiskars Butterfly Punch, Spellbinders Grand Big Scalloped Ovals dies

I'm entering this canvas in the following challenges:
Through the Craft Room Door March/April Special Challenge - Mixed Media
Creative Artiste Mixed Media Challenge #36 - Anything Goes
Alphabet Challenge Blog - Y is Your Choice
Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge - Mixed Mediums

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a great week.