Eagle Scout Daddy

While this is a very memorial day or July 4th type card, I actually am going for a father's day look for my beautiful, always prepared Eagle Scout of a man. But the riffs on the US flag made me grateful for all the men, and women, who serve and protect us every day. Mine makes sacrifices for his own family, and they make sacrifices for us all. I value both infinitely. In this time of life where I watch another mother figure move toward her heavenly home, I am keenly aware of life, death, and the importance of serving one another. Now on to the card...

The start to this card was actually the star panel, which was made using a Verve Christmas die that goes with a little nativity scene and which I recessed into a white panel from which I had cut other stars. I then used some red, white and blue papers from my stash to do a not quite literal flag, but the fun part was what came next.

The inspiration photo of Things 1, 2, and 3 was them on a fun ride at the beach, which I fussy cut then adhered to a panel cut with My Favorite Things (MFT) Fishtail banner (reminded me of stars and stripes bunting, no?) and sponged with Jim Holtz inks tumbled glass, faded jeans and salty ocean. The medallion background was also sponged thus. The result reminded me of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, with them riding off to the sky in their little red car! The medallion and backer were die cut from MFT Blueprints-13 and the medallion sponged with pickled raspberry, barn door, fired brick and vintage photo. Both the banner and medallion were popped up with Joy! Foam pads for depth. This is the busiest card I have ever made, but I really enjoyed adding layer after layer.

I usually don't do much, or anything, with the insides of my cards, but this time I had the perfect stamp from prickly pear.com, which was stamped in Versafine Majestic blue ink. I used some leftover MFT Blueprints-13 stars from my sponged papers to frame it et voila!

I'm playing in the Classy Cards 'n Such Challenge #86.

Trust in God

Trust in God

How many times has this been true for you? I know in my life, that oftentimes it is only after I really give something to God, and stop trying to tailor the response I want to hear, that I get a clear answer, a straight and obvious path.

For the ODBD239 Inspiration Challenge, All Things Bright and Beautiful, I loved the blue and black butterfly from the first picture and the vibrant green hues I saw in several of the collage photos. I took a slightly more impressionistic route. I played with my Tim Holtz distress inks until I got the juxtaposition I liked between vibrant spring greenery and a brooding sky to suggest tough times, but also hope, to go along with my ODBD sentiment, embossed in Stampin Up white powder. The panel was cut using my favorite MFT Blueprints 13 stitched rectangle and adhered to a black folder. The fussy-cut butterfly was stamped in Versamark and embossed with black detail powder. Then I colored it in with a mix of Sakura gel pens and brushed the whole thing with my Wink of Stella glitter wand. I popped her up with Joy! foam pads to suggest flight. I added the whimsical, and "uplifting" pearls and voila -- a simple card done.

Greatly Appeciate our Teachers

This week is teacher appreciation week, and in the life of my "special" kids, this year's teachers have been invaluable instruments in God's hands, unlocking minds, teaching not just academics but social skills and self-help, and truly loving all of the kids, on bad days and good. As a result, it is fitting that my most intricate, unaided, card came together so well (I think) in their honor...

I'm playing in the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, Let's Get Sentimental (also fitting!) this week. For our teachers, I did a subtle riff of the apple theme, creating a garden scene with dies from several Impression Obsession sets. My tree was watercolored by the kids actually, then stolen fair and square by Mommy for crafting. The apples and basket rings I did myself from some scraps of papers I had sponged using Tim Holtz distress inks to get the four apple hues. I popped up the basket and two of the apples with Joy! foam pads for depth.  The ODBD sentiment was stamped with VersaMark and embossed with Stampin' Up White powder. I couldn't resist throwing in a subtle Christian message, my shy way of bearing witness, et voila!

I also tried a version with the colors inverted (see below), which I really liked with the sponged background in such a happy spring color, die cut with the stitched die from MFT Blueprints 13, but then at the last minute I made a crooked stamp and blew it -- happens to us all at some point I guess!

Hope you enjoy them.

Cloudy at Sea

Cloudy at Sea

The Cloud challenge (CCNS82) couldn't have come at a better time, as I had just purchased the nautical Impression Obsession Dies and some clouds, inspired by our April beach trip, but hadn't yet played with them. Here's what I came up with (sorry the picture is at such a rakish angle!):

Now that I have seen my friend's take on the same scene, I am decidedly less pleased with myself than I was when I created this... At any rate, the sky is sponged with salty ocean and tumbled glass over cloud masks, stamped with a sentiment from ODBD, and then I popped up clouds from both an Impression Obsessions set and a ODBD set. The ocean is made from torn strips of paper I had sponged with mostly peacock and salty ocean (lighter layer) or faded jeans, salty ocean and dusty concord (horizon layer). The island was torn from cappucino card stock over-sponged with tea dye. The lighthouse comes from the IO nautical set, which I punched from both black and white to get the striped. The lights were filled in with Stickles to give them texture and glow.

As a side note, while none of my designs has ever won, I found out this morning I did win a random drawing via one of my entries (April SHowers), so I'm taking that as a victory! Exciting!

I'm also playing in the scripture challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs.
Thanks for visiting!

April Showers

April Showers

This is my first ever entry into an Our Daily Bread Challenge (ODBDSLC235) -- finally got some of their great stuff in order to be able to play along (ok, this one I borrowed from a friend, but I have more, I promise!) ...

The background is sponged with a combo of Distress Inks in pistachio, pine and bundled sage to create a spring look, then die cut from my MFT Blueprint 13 stitched die. The ODBD sentiment was stamped in VersaMark and embossed using white powder. My tulips were cut from a Penny Black die, first in green, then from watercolor papers I had sponged in either Pickled Raspberry/Marmalade or Marmalade/Mustard Seed/Fired Brick and popped up with Joy! Foam pads. The smaller flowers are from a Martha Stewart hydrangea punch from designer papers and hand cut stems. I popped up the larger ones and shaped the tiny one, then added pink and green rhinestones.

Cherry Thankfulness

Cherry Thankfulness

Today I am playing along for the first time at Classy Cards N Such (CCNS81) at the behest of a friend with lots more experience! Their concept this week was cherry or dogwood blossoms, and given the sight and fragrance of cherries all around right now here in DC, I took that path. My other inspiration was a color combo I saw while stuck watching the Masters Golf Tournament with my hubby (can you say bored if all I noticed was the juxtaposition of spring green, deep blue and hot pink in the azeleas/sky?!). Thus was born my concept.

For my background, I sponged a combination of distress inks (peacock, salty ocean, faded jeans, dusty concord, pistachio and pine). I cut the Penny Black Dancing Blooms cherry stem twice in chocolate for thickness, and once in paper I had sponged spiced marmalade/pickled raspberry to get my cherry blossoms. I added my Stampin Up sentiment in Versamark, and picked it because I thought the concept of giving a receiving so nicely fit the cherry blossom, since ours here are all a gift from Japan. Then I added blue, green and clear rhinestones (which I'm sorry to say photographed as all dark). I cut my panel using the MFT Blueprints 13 stitched border die and adhered it to a matching chocolate base I made from paper in the same family as my cherry stem. Voila! I hope you like it.

Other Challenge I am playing in: Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Clean and Simple

Monochrome Valentine

So when I saw this week's challenge at CASology, Monochrome, I knew one of my unused ideas from last week was just the right game to play, so I started experimenting. I must say, the monochrome makes it seem a bit "flat" to me, but...I enjoyed playing with my toys.

It was my first foray into Washi tape -- not as sticky or "thick" as I would like -- not impressed, but there are so many more patterns than ribbon from Michael's! I added baker's twine for a little more flair. I had originally used an embossed panel, but the tape just wouldn't stay stuck. I preferred that other look though.

For the sentiment, I stamped it at a friend's house (and thus don't know the collection), then die cut it with Spellbinders scalloped hearts at home. I sponged the edges with Tim Holtz distress ink Barn Door then popped it up with foam.