Make a Difference

It’s that time - or maybe it’s really past that time. At any rate, I’ve started working on a few holiday things, and I used today’s Weekend Sketch Challenge to make a few ‘flat’ cards that are easy to mail for Christmas.  I’m using Christmas Blessings from Taylored Expressions today.  We Three Kings is one of my favorite Christmas Carols, probably because it’s one of my dad’s favorite Christmas carols.  Never a sentiment more true, ‘wise men still seek Him‘. The pretty patterned paper is Holiday’s & Winter’s Wings from Webster’s Pages.  It’s all stamped with Brilliance Chocolate Pearlescent ink, so it just shimmers and shines.  Sentiment is cut from Spellbinders’ Labels Nine, and it’s shaded with a little mist from my Copic airbrush.

We’re gearing up for a big weekend here in Missouri. I’m off to Science Olympiad with my youngest this morning and then a swim meet with my oldest this afternoon. We’ve got a lot to do in the next 2 days, but it will have to work around sleeping in tomorrow. I’m still playing catch up from being under the weather last week, and while I feel much better, I can’t seem to get enough sleep or OJ.

For other takes on the sketch today, visit Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Mary Jo and Sharon. Better yet, play along and create your own.

Have a wonderful weekend!

it takes hands to build a house, but only {hearts} can build a home

tap..tap..tap…Is anyone out there?

I’m back from a unintended, but needed break from paper crafting. It felt really odd to be sitting at my stamp table this morning, and even more odd to not know where my USB cable had drifted off to in the last few weeks. Don’t you always find yours under the passenger seat of your car when it disappears? When I left off last month, I was in the middle of 3 or 4 big projects (work, PTO and home improvement). I’ve wrapped most of them up, and it feels good to be moving on.

For the Weekend Sketch Challenge, this is a card for my mom — we’re celebrating her birthday this weekend. My brother and his kids and my parents will arrive today, and I’m really looking forward to it - even though my house is a mess and I’ve not cooked a thing. It’s always fun to spend time together.

To give you a hint of how sweet my mom is, she has just called from Costco in ‘the city’ to confirm a few things I had sent her on ‘my list’. Bless her heart - it’s the PTO paper goods list for the entire year. Then she’s stopping by two other stores to pick up things for me that I just can’t get here in town before she heads this way. I could really go on for hours about the many, many ways shes built our lives with love - of course - I’d be in tears because I just don’t fathom how a girl could be so fortunate. My mom blesses me, not by what she does, but for the woman she is.

As usual, more sketch-spiration from Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Laurie, Mary Jo and Sharon.  It’s good to be back, and I hope your weekend is full of wonderful moments.

•  Stamps: Hearts can Build a Home & Vintage Backgrounder - Unity Stamp Company 
• Cardstock: Indian Summer - Basic Grey, Kraft & Ivory cardstock 
• Ink - Rich Cocoa Memento 
• Accs: Copic Markers, ribbon - Taylored Expressions, oval nestabilities, sew-mini, brad - Basic Grey & punch - Fiskars 

Every month, just for fun, I do a challenge with a few friends where one person picks a stamp image that they like and another friend picks some patterned paper. Then using only the selected patterned paper (with solid papers to coordinate) and the stamp, we each make our own card. A few weeks ago I got this sweet little package in the mail from Kim Hughes with this cute Twizzle Tree from Memory Box, compliments of sweet Ellen. (Thanks, Ellen!) Then a few days later, sweet Julie sent me a few pieces of this pretty double sided polka dot paper,  Pink Floral JustChillin’ Girl from Making Memories. So sweet!

I paper pieced the circles on the tree from the big floral print on the backside of the paper, and added the fun polka dot print from the front side and some pearls that I airbrushed with Copic ink. Ribbon from Papertrey and a sentiment from Unity…Sweet!  This came together very quickly, but I am happy. (That’s not always the case! LOL)

Make sure you check out all of the Just For Fun girls: Alli, Julie, Kim and Michele. I love these girls, and I love watching them work.

In other news: It’s a day full of blessings here in Midwest USA: new babies, pretty paint colors finally decided for an exterior face lift, hubby is returning safely from a long hunting trip, crisp fall weather… God is good!

Weekend Sketch time…this darling little set called The Poppies from MFT came out last summer, just about the time that my DD started guitar lessons. I’m so grateful I didn’t have to say ‘drum lessons’… LOL! (Even though the drummer in this set is just adorable!)

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You are the light of the world. Let your light shine out for all to see! ~ Matthew 5:14-16

Every month on the 9th, I try to share a project inspired by Scripture for a challenge at Splitcoaststampers called Divine Design.  All are welcome to participate. The only requirement is that your project contain a Bible verse. Most often I choose 6×6 cards that I display on a wooden stand in my stamp room.

I picked up a new Bible study book the other day called Annointed, Transformed, Redeemed, a Study of David.  It will be the fall women’s study at my church. As I leafed through the early pages, this verse jumped out from Matthew. “Let your light shine out for all to see!”

This lamp that hangs in my kitchen was an inspiration piece for the layout of the project. I can see this lamp from my workdesk, and I love to look at it even though it might not necessarily fit in with the rest of my kitchen. You know what? Even when it doesn’t fit, it’s light still shines. It lights meals and laughter, homework and bill paying, magazine browsing and Bible studying, friendship gatherings and long, lost sock matching. My family sits under this lamp in sad times and good times and all those in between. I pray we’re like this lamp, even with it’s off-center glass chimney. No matter the circumstance, I hope we still shine for Him.

If you missed my post last night, here’s a reminder to check out the Scripture Chicks Angel Wilde, Jami Bova, Nancy Morgan and Taylor VanBruggen. I {adore} these girls.

• Stamps: Light of the World - Our Daily Bread Designs & Everything Extraordinary - Unity Stamp Company 
• Cardstock: Kraft & Cherry Hill October Afternoon 
• Ink: Brown Memento 
• Accs: twine, Prima flowers, glassy accents, Copic Marker, Star Dust Stickles, brads - CTMH, rik rak and buttons 

Yes it really does sparkle that much in real life. Doodlebug Paper meet ADDY’tude!

 Several weeks ago, I mailed this stamp, ADDY’tude Loves to Sparkle to Michele Boyer.  She’s always up for cyber-stamping with a friend, and I knew her affection for rubber of the Bella variety. We both love the ones illustrated by the fabulous Christy Croll. ;)  We decided we’d post our creations at the same time, and ‘we’ll call this the Double Dipper’, says Michele.

I had so much fun paper-piecing and coloring this image last weekend. I think I probably giggled out loud when I realized her designer earrings were the perfect size for Taylor’s Tiny Twinkle bling. The glittered paper from Doodlebug, the glitter pens, the rhinestones. It was so fun.

I knew this little lady was stepping into the spotlight, so I stamped her in Tuxedo Black Memento ink and the cut a mask of the full stamp. After masking her body, I used my Copic airbrush and YR31 to give the card a glow. I focused the most intense sprays of color at the edge of her body so the light just radiates behind her. Then I removed my mask, and colored the hair, skin and bracelets. I stamped her body again on the glittered paper with Black StazOn, trimmed out the dress, shoes and purse and pieced them to the card front. Bling, bling and she’s ready for a night on the town.

I’m going to check out Michele’s card (which I’m sure I’ll drool over - she has that way with rubber). Then, I’m going to finish up my Divine Design project for the month. I’m almost finished - better a little late than never. :)  Thanks for stopping by today.

I don’t know a mom in this generation who hasn’t read this book once or 300 times. From the classic of our time, Guess How Much I Love You, this quote is amazing in expressing a parent’s unmeasurable love. My daughter and I go back and forth every night at bedtime, a challenge to say can have the final, “I LOVE YOU, MORE”. I don’t think she knows it, nor will til she’s a mother herself one day, but I always win. This card is for her.

I had a totally different project in mind when I ordered these bubble packs from Taylor’s store, but again it took on a life of it’s own… happen-stance…by chance…serendipity. I love it.

The image, from Taylored Expressions Birthday Bash release today, is colored with Copics, accented with clear diamond glitter and put in the bubble pack with chunky diamond dust glass. I sealed the edges of the bubble pack with regular card adhesive (ATG Tape). I used Circle Nestabilities to cut my image and the circle in my patterened paper. It did require the large and small sets to get the holes just the right size. All of that is layered between Prism paper and the whole thing stitched together with my sewing machine.

About the set ~ The image is from The Places You’ll Go, the 3rd stamp set in the Taylored Expressions Giving Tree Program designed to donate proceeds to a different charity each quarter. For each The Places You’ll Go stamp set sold during September, October, November, Taylored Expressions will donate $7.00 to the Books for Kids Foundation. Note: This set is the same deeply etched rubber you have come to love! However, in order to cut down on manufacturing costs and donate more to charity, The Places You’ll Go set will need to be trimmed when the customer receives it.

You can see other fabulous projects using this from stampers extraordinaire:

Bonnie Sharp, Cambria Turnbow, Carolina Buchting, Debbie Olson, Sherrie Siemens, Joy Kennedy and the one and only, Jenn Balcer

Enjoy your weekend!

Now that I have your attention. Here’s a peek at my card for Taylor’s Sketch today. Two sketches one day. I know! Call me crazy. Hey it was either stamp or eat chocolate. It’s just been that kind of week!

Stamping was probably much better for my metabolism. Here’s a quick one with some more October Afternoon. The ‘Story Hour‘ Pattern was just perfect to match up with my cuppie from  Love is Sweet.  I think this is my favorite cuppie image because you can make her say whatever you want. I cut an extra flower from the patterned paper and added liquid chocolate pearls. The chocolate cardstock, fittingly comes from ‘the Chocolate Box‘ from Core’dinations. Yummy!

• Stamps: Love is Sweet - Taylored Expressions 
• Cardstock:  the Chocolate Box - Core’dinations, Report Card - October Afternoon & Farm Fresh - October Afternoon 
• Ink: Black Memento 
• Accs: Chocolate Liquid Pearls - Ranger, rikrak - Taylored Expressions, Copic Markers (R20, E57), Spica Glitter Pen Clear

Aw shucks…. you shouldn’t have! 

 I’m very well aware that I’ve used cherry themed images the last 3 weeks for the weekend sketch challenge. I’m also very sure that it wasn’t intentional. There are just so many cute cherry themed things out there right now. Meet Henrietta from Stamping Bella! Just makes me smile when I see her standing there, all demure and coy.

She is stamped on ivory cardstock with Memento inks - Rich Cocoa and LadyBug. I used the dew drop size so that I could color right onto the stamp and get her dress and body in two different colors. You could do the same thing with brushtip markers. I colored the cherries with Copic Markers (R27 and YG25) and then shaded with W1. The cherries have a little glaze added to them, and the white pleats of her dress shimmer.

 Hope you enjoy the sketch this weekend. You can see other fabulous samples (as always) from Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Laurie, Mary Jo and Sharon.

• Stamps: Henrietta - Stamping Bella 
• Cardstock: Pure Luxury Ivory - Gina K and Red Polka Dot Paper -from Report Card line - October Afternoon
  
• Ink: Rich Cocoa and Ladybug - Memento 
• Accs: Ribbons, twine, button, 3 flower punch (SU!) and Copic Markers (r27, YG24, W1)  

I got the warm fuzzies when Michele told me todays Ways to Use It Challenge at SCS would be FUZZY STUFF. (Check out her darling dolly sample.) I knew immediately that I would use this sparkly white flock for clouds. I stamped the clouds with Black Memento on white cardstock and cut them out. Then I used Aleen’s Tacky Glue to cover the inside of the clouds and gently pressed into the flock that I had poured out of the container, glue side down. I love how the white pops against the creamy tone of the text patterned paper (Cherry Hill - October Afternoon). The vintage balloon image is from Verve’s Up, Up & Away. I stamped the balloon on patterned paper for the red and cream design. It’s accented with a tiny black twinkle and raised up with dimensional dots. I added a little bit of depth to the balloon with Copic Markers W0 and W1 - my favorites for shading. The basket is colored with Copic E35.

I stamped my sentiment in black pigment ink and embossed with detail clear embossing powder. I like to emboss when I’m stamping over patterned paper. Helps the image pop. Used another one of my stacked Prima flowers (I’m so glad I put so many of these together last weekend while watching tv. It’s too easy to grab and go.) Notice my linen thread is kind of FUZZY?

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