He's Not Far Away

Happy Wednesday!!  It's time for another great challenge at Word Art Wednesday.  This week we're looking at a verse in the New Testament.  Acts 17:27 states, "That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us:"  This verse is talking about the omnipresence of God (the fact that He is everywhere at once).  He is near to each of us and has His eye upon us at all times.  It doesn't matter where we are, city, country, on land, in the air, on the water, or even out in space, God is never far from us.  Romans 8:38-39 states, "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." WOW!!  That's something to carry you through life and encourage you during the tough times.

For my card today, I wanted something bright and spring-y.  All around outside, we're seeing signs of new growth.  The trees are budding, lawns need mowed and flowers are starting to bloom.  Our neighbors have put up a few bird feeders and some beautiful birds are coming to feed there.  I chose to use this beautiful image of a wildflower bouquet and colored it with copics.  It was matted with black and put on a white embossed panel.  This really helps the colors in the wildflowers pop.  You can't tell in the pics but the flowers and butterfly were coated with a Wink of Stella clear glitter marker.

This week's verse was printed on vellum and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  It was then wrapped around the image panel.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Paper Trey Ink (my new favorite for Copic coloring), Georgia Pacific (white), Recollections (black), The Paper Studio (vellum)
Stamps:  WORDart by Karen (Acts 17:27), Flourishes clear stamp set (Picking Wildflowers)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Copics: R81, 83, 85; V01, 04, 06, 09; Y000, 11, 13, 15, 17; BG000, 01, 05, 15; E25, 31, 33; G03, 07, 09, 14, 17; YG03, 05; B000
Tools/Embellishments: Spellbinders dies (Petite Ovals Large, Petite Scalloped Ovals Large); Cuttlebug embossing folder (Basket Weave), The Paper Studio rhinestones, Stampin' Up embossing powder (Crystal Clear), Zig Wink of Stella brush glitter marker (Clear)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Spring Flowers
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Anything Goes
2 Crafty Girls Challenge #1 - Spring Time
Path of Positivity Challenge #25 - Growth (spring flowers are a great symbol of growth to me)
Party Time Tuesday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you'll visit the Word Art Wednesday blog for more inspiration and your free digi.

Happy Birthday, Ian!

Our son's birthday was a couple weeks ago. This is the card I made to send to him.  Since he will be going on a fishing/camping trip in a couple months, I thought this image was truly appropriate.  After stamping the image with black Stazon ink onto watercolor paper, I used Distress markers and inks to water color the image.  Distress inks were also used to ink the edges of the die cuts and papers.  I've never tried this technique before and really had fun with it.  I think kraft paper is such an easy way to start a masculine card - especially one with an outdoorsy theme.  I started with a kraft card base for my A2 card and layered up from there.  I used a sketch from The Kraft Journal for the card design.

The matted image was popped up over the layered background.

I included interior decorating on both sides.

I love this definition stamp.  It's so perfect to use in cards for special people - and is definitely true of our son.  The image and mats were cut with Labels Four and Labels Four Small.  The top and bottom were trimmed to make them mimic the brackets in the stamped image. A great way to extend the use of your die cuts is to trim them to other shapes.  I'll be using this technique again.

Supplies:
Sketch:  The Kraft Journal Challenge 160
Cardstock: Recollections, Royal & Langnickel Watercolor Paper
Patterned Paper:  MME
Stamps:  Flourishes (In Nature), Stampendous (Birthday Wish)
Ink: Stazon (Jet Black), Distress Inks (Bundled Sage, Tea Dye, Antique Linen, Vintage photo, Walnut Stain, Crushed Olive, Peacock Feathers, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Barn Door)
Tools/Embellishments: Distress Markers (Shabby Shutters, Frayed Burlap, Weathered Wood), Spellbinders dies (Standard Circles Large & Small, Labels Four, Labels Four Small), Staedtler Tri-plus fine tip marker (brown)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:


The Kraft Journal Challenge #165 - Inside & Out
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
Fan-tastic Tues Challenge #29 - Use Patterned Paper
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Birthday
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #315 - All Boy (any masculine card)
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #188 - Color a stamped image
Chocolate, Coffee Cards Challenge #62 - Stripes
Just B Creative Crazy - Anything Goes
Just Keep On Creating - Anything Goes
Paper Crafting Challenges #7 - Masculine

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Fruit of the Spirit

It's hard to believe that we're into February now!  I feel like I lost the whole month of January.  As I mentioned before, I started the month with the flu and then spent the rest of the month recovering.  Ugh!  I took a leave of absence from Word Art Wednesday to recover.  I sure have missed my craft room and making projects for the challenges at Word Art Wednesday.

This week our focus verse is Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."  A life lived pleasing to the Lord will show these fruit.  A tough challenge to be sure but as we grow in our relationship with Him, these things should be more and more evident in our lives.  As I looked at the list, I realized that if we are loving others as God would have us love them, the rest of the list will start to fall in place a littler easier.  If we love someone it's easier to be longsuffering (patient), gentle, good, etc., towards them.  So with this in mind, I focused my card this week on the "love" aspect of the fruit of the Spirit.

One of our sponsors, Robyn's Fetish, generously gave the DT some images to play with.  I was able to play with the image called "i heart u".  This image comes with the sentiment on the heart and by itself.  I can see myself using it again and again.  Once again, I used one of my favorite techniques and paper pieced the hearts.  After I fussy cut both hearts, I went around the edges with a black Copic marker. For the red, ruffled heart, I used 2 layers of clear embossing powder (apply versamark, cover with embossing powder, heat, cool, repeat) to give it a shiny look.  On the white heart, I covered the sentiment that comes on it with this week's focus verse.  A few heart die cuts were added to the bottom of this panel for a little more "heart" interest.  Each heart was given several coats of a clear Wink of Stella glitter pen and then a coat of glaze.  The white heart is popped up over the red heart.

You may be wondering about the edge detail on the card.  Well, one of the side effects of feeling lousy for several weeks was that I watched LOTS of crafty videos on YouTube.  I learned several new things I want to try in upcoming projects.  This braided card was one at the top of my list.  I saw this technique demonstrated in a video by Brandy Cox.  Here is the blog post featuring not only the video but also a free download for the template she designed to make the necessary cuts.  It's a lot of fun, and I have plans to use this on another card that I hope to share with you in the next few days.

I did a little interior decorating on this card.  It shows off the braid too.  :)

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Georgia Pacific
Patterned Paper:  American Crafts (Hip Hip Hooray 6 x 6 pad)
Stamps:  WORDart by Karen (Galatians 5:22-23), Robyn's Fetish (i heart u)
Ink:  Versamark
Tools/Embellishments: Copic Marker (100), SU embossing powder (Crystal Clear), Staedtler Triplus Fineliner (black), Zig Wink of Stella brush glitter pen (clear), Sakura Glaze pen, Lawn Fawn Hearts Lawn Cuts, The Paper Studio embossing folder (Tiny Hearts)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #257 (incorporate red and love in your card)
Cuttlebug Mania (A Touch of Red - I used the Cuttlebug for the Tiny Hearts embossing folder and for the Lawn Fawn Heart dies)
Scrapbook Blessings Club Challenge #12 (Love is in the Air)
Just B Creative Crazy - Just Because (anything goes)

I hope you'll stop by the Word Art Wednesday blog to see the rest of the projects made by the DT and to pick up your free WORDart digi.  Also, be sure to stop by Robyn's Fetish for LOTS of great digital stamps.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Butterfly Spotlight

I have a different type of card to share with you today.  I've seen a couple cards recently that were clear.  I really like them but haven't made one in a long time. When I saw this week's challenge at Flourishes to use acetate on your card, I decided now was the time.  I also was introduced to a great sketch challenge blog, Tuesday Morning Sketches.  They are having a birthday celebration (Happy Birthday, TMS) and have 4 different sketches to choose from this week.  I chose to use sketch #4 but added the bow element to help cover where the acetate is attached.  Sketches are for inspiration and don't have to be followed exactly...right?  :)

I also wanted to try a "new to me" technique I've seen around blog-land and decided to try the Spotlight Technique.  It was kind of fun and certainly adds a dramatic touch.  Beate has a great tutorial on the Spotlight Technique over on SCS.

I lined the interior of the card with a lavender dotted paper and added a place for a note.  The decorations on the front hide it from view.

I used the space behind the front decorations to add a Scripture verse.

Here's a view of the inside of the front panel of the card.  I learned that photographing a clear card with a white background can make cropping/editing it a challenge.  It's hard to see where the card ends.  Maybe I'll try a black background next time. 

Note to self:
When making clear cards in the future, and when using a thick transparency instead of clear "cardstock",  add patterned paper or cardstock to the bottom edge for stability.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Express-it, Creative Imaginations (Lavender)
Patterned Paper:  NRN Designs (Purple Floral), Art Impressions (Dotty Lavender)
Stamps:  Flourishes (Picking Wildflowers), Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (Our Refuge)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Copics:  V04, 06, 09; YG03, 05; R20; YR21; E29, 50; Y11, 13, 15, 17, 21
Tools/Embellishments:  Transparency (brand unknown), Spellbinders (Circles Large & Small, Lacey Circles), Doodlebug Stitched Grosgrain ribbon (Lilac), CM Fine Tip Black pen, Fiskar's Border punch (Apron Lace)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Tuesday Morning Sketches #206 (TMS206) - 4th Birthday Sketch Challenge
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge (FTTC228) - Seeing Clearly (use acetate on card)
Tuesday Throwdown #155 - Use Spotlight Technique
Going Gray with Scrap Creations - Use ribbon & bow
Crafty Ribbons Challenge #52 - Anything Goes with Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by today.

Berry Happy Birthday

I made this little birthday card for a co-worker.  I was privileged to win some Flourish stamps recently and decided to use one of the stamps from the Berry Sweet Frames set for the front.  My card design was inspired by a card made by Flourishes designer, Stacy Morgan (in this challenge post the inspiration card I used is 3rd from the bottom).

I stamped the strawberries  and sentiment (from a set by Mark's Finest Papers) on a piece of cardstock and then colored the strawberries with my copics.  I used my Scor-Buddy to add the score lines 1/4" from each edge.  A ribbon, button and twine were added to this panel before I matted it on green cardstock and then adhered to the card base.  As a last touch I added stickles to the strawberries and flower center.

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Georgia Pacific, Bazzill
Stamps:  Flourishes (Berry Sweet Frames), Mark's Finest Papers (Celebrate Big)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Copics:  R27, 29; YR20, 21, YG03, 05, R20
Embellishments/Tools:  American Crafts Slick Writer, Jillibean Soup twine, Offray ribbon, button from stash, Stickles (Star Dust)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Flouishes Designer Focus - make a card inspired by Stacy Morgan
Sister Act Card Challenge #12 - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
Crafting When We Can #47 - Keep It Simple
Friends of SpeedyTV - Let it Sparkle (I used stickles for my sparkle)

Thanks for stopping by today.