Season's Seatings

Hello, sweet and lovely friends! 

Today I am happy to join my Power Poppy teammates in sharing the newest "Digis on the 5s" digital release, Season's Seatings. Here's what Marcella shares about this new release. 

"We love any scene that exudes cozy fall goodness — a second-hand chair in the garden? Of course! It's the ideal perch for a rustic pumpkin bouquet. You may recognize this image from our popular clear stamp set 'So Grateful.' What's especially neat about this digital download version is that you get two focal images, one of the large chair vignette and a second large image of the pumpkin bouquet by itself featuring dahlias, berries, and black-eyed Susans. The verse from Ecclesiastes, 'He has made everything beautiful in its time,' is the perfect accompaniment, and you'll also get a shorter 'Hello, Beauty' sentiment. A coloring feast awaits!"  

In South Florida we do not see many real carved pumpkins, and if we do, they are inside our air-conditioned houses. It's far too hot for pumpkins to survive very long. So to have a pumpkin filled with fall flowers is a delight for me!

Using Microsoft Word, I arranged the flower-filled pumpkin next to the Scripture verse for a wide card, printed it on X-Press It Blending Card, and started coloring. I found this vibrant fall plaid designer paper and kept it simple with a wonky-stitched die, thin mat of Tangerine Tango, and it was done. I dug through all my embellishments but finally decided to keep it simple — flat and easy to mail. ;)

I truly enjoyed making this card, and I read on in Ecclesiastes where it tells us that there is nothing better for us to do than to be joyful and to do good as long as we live. This is God's gift to us. As I considered the enjoyment I experienced in making this card, I am reminded that pleasure is fleeting and that true and lasting joy is found only in Jesus Christ. May I glorify God in all I do. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
...there is nothing better for them than to be joyful
and to do good as long as they live; 
— this is God's gift to man..
Ecclesiastes 3:11, 12b, 13b

For my stamping friends, you will find this new digital image at Power Poppy. Hop on over to the Power Poppy blog and see what Marcy shares about this wonderful digital release and see what my teammates have to share. 

This week Splitcoaststampers has a wonderful Inspiration Challenge, and we are to be inspired by one of the flags. There were many I could have used, and I think it's a wonderful website to inspire many other future cards.

Precious friends, you are truly loved. As always, I thank you so much for your visits and comments. I continue to pray for many of the special prayer requests, and I know that God will encourage and bless you all. I thank God also for how He is answering our prayers. May God give peace and comfort to those suffering loss and encouragement and joy to us all. You are a precious gift to me.

Blessings, dear friends,

Stamps: Season's Seatings (Power Poppy) 

Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, Tangerine Tango (SU!), Perfectly Plaid Fall (Lawn Fawn)

Ink: N/A (printer)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX dies (My Favorite Things), Mini Perfect Layers tool, white tape

Card Size: 5" x 6"

Casting all your cares on Him...

Hello, sweet friends! It's been a busy time, and I know we are all looking forward to spring. While our weather has been lovely, I know that snow still is falling in parts of the country. Wishing you warmer weather soon!

This month I am honored to be a guest designer for the Splitcoaststampers Color Challenge. It's a challenge that I love but one that has often stumped me. So the best way to fix that is to meet it head on! As a guest designer, I know the colors ahead of time and place half sheets of the card stock on my table to be inspired by them and visualize what I might do with the colors. This week's colors are Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow, and Soft Sky (Stampin' Up), and they just spoke flowers. You know my love for coloring flowers, right?!

I found a Penny Black stamp that I could color with my Copic markers blending from the darkest areas out to the petal edges with Blackberry Bliss (and just a wee touch of yellow in the center -- can you see it?). Of course the leaves were easier with Mossy Meadow, and then I added some shading using Soft Sky with pointillism. My positioning of the flower allowed for the precious Scripture verse that I know will encourage my friend.

I used a decorative die, added some paper piercing, and then adhered it to the base. I added a make-shift easel on the back that folds flat for mailing, but it allows the card to be displayed like a normal card. 

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This Scripture verse is such a great reminder for us all that no matter what our cares are (and we all have them -- big and small), God cares for each of us and wants us humbly to place all our burdens and cares on Him. I sometimes think that "Oh, I have this under control." But He wants us to bring all our cares to Him. Nothing is too big or too small for God to handle. That brings me great peace, and I trust that it will bring you peace as well.

Cast all your cares on Him
for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

Oh, sweet friends, thank you for your visits and comments. I love reading each one and pray for you and your requests. Your prayers for me continue to be an encouragement, and I thank you! May God bless you and give you joy today and every day.

Blessings,

Stamps: Full of Glee (Penny Black), Faith Medley (Verve)
Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, Soft Sky (SU!)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Onyx Black (Versafine)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Grand Decorative Labels One dies (Spellbinders), MISTI tool, Mat Pack (SU!), piercing tool, Tombow Multi Mono Liquid Glue
Card Size: 5" square
Copic markers used: Flower Petals - V01, V15, V17, V09; Flower Center - wee touch of Y15; Leaves - G20, YG91, YG93, YG95, G99; Shading - BG000, 0

Cup of Columbine

Hello, sweet friends! It's Saturday, and next Tuesday is the first day of spring. After a long, hard winter, we are all looking forward to seeing flowers bloom and the weather warm.  

I am late for this month's Instant Garden release by Marcella Hawley, but it is a darling one called Cup of Columbine. Here is Marcy's wonderful description: 

"A delicate tea cup overflowing with pretty plants is steeped in detail and delight. Columbine (Aquilegia) flowers intermingle with ruffled miniature Hosta leaves for a bouquet that will tickle your coloring fancy all the way through summer. You get two designs -- one with the flowers and tea cup only, and a second, more challenging composition with a baby robin snapping up a few of the Columbine seeds. Both images have a lighter 'no-line' version included. 

For this Color Story, I'm envisioning an exploration of blues and purples -- the classic Columbine colors, and you may not know that Hosta leaves come in lots of blue hybrids. Hostas also often have variegated foliage, which can be streaks of vanilla, chartreuse, chalky blue, and various greens -- all on the SAME LEAF! Do a bit of Googling, and create a piece in blues that does anything but give YOU the blues! :)"

There are so many beautiful colors for Columbine flowers, but my favorite color is blue (not that you would know that with all the pinks I've been using lately...hehe!). I found some lovely ideas and colored the flowers and leaves. I was struggling with the color for the Susie Cooper tea cup and found today's Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoaststampers just what I needed. It was an unlikely image that inspired me -- a frog. Haha! Yes, it is a blue frog on green leaves with some dark gray/black. Since some of Susie Cooper tea cups are found in dark colors with white polka dots, I finished coloring the cup a darker color and used a white gel pen for the polka dots. I added some stripes to the cloth after I finished coloring it (since I used a regular blue writing pen). Not sure it's my favorite, but I enjoyed the challenge. I used a new decorative die to add a bit of frill and then mounted it on a Marina Mist card base. Voila! It is done, and I hope you like it. I think it is growing on me a little. ;)

Yesterday I found out that a dear young mom of five was called home to the Lord after a two-year battle with cancer. Please pray for her family as these dear young ones will surely have precious few and fading memories of a mom who loved them dearly. I am thankful for the church family they have to love and encourage them on this hard journey.

Many of us are looking toward Holy Week, celebrating Good Friday when Jesus was crucified and died and then Easter (Resurrection Sunday), when Jesus rose from the dead. I praise God that we do not live without hope and that this young mom is now in the presence of her Savior with no more pain and suffering. And when He calls me home, I look forward to being with Jesus as well for all eternity. May we consider the true meaning of Easter this year.

Jesus said to her, 
"I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me,
though he die, yet shall he live."
John 11:25

For my stamping friends, you will find this new digital release over at Power Poppy. Hop on over to the Power Poppy blog and see what Marcy shares about this beautiful new digital release. 

I would like to enter this card in The Flower Challenge, which is Anything Goes. I just love the design team and of course always love flowers!

Precious friends, thank you for your visits and comments. I read each one and pray for you. Your prayers continue to encourage me as well, and I thank you! May God bless each of you and give you joy today and every day.

Blessings, dear friends,

Stamps: Cup of Columbine (Power Poppy) 

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Marina Mist (SU!)

Ink: Printer
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Pleated Lace Rectangles dies (Gina Marie Designs), white gel pen, white tape

Card Size: A2

Splitcoaststampers Product Focus - Chameleon Color Tops

Hello, sweet friends! It's been more than a month since I've last posted...time sure flies. But we are praising God for surviving Hurricane Irma with minimal damage. There are so many people still without power, and it's been an extraordinary effort by the thousands of workers from Canada and throughout the United States who are helping to restore power in this extreme heat. Please continue to pray for all those impacted by Irma here in the States and in the Caribbean...and all the people helping in so many ways.

It's Product Focus time at Splitcoaststampers today. The Product Focus team has been working the last month with the new Chameleon Color Tops that are a new edition to the Chameleon Pens system. We have been creating projects and are sharing our thoughts and tips about this new product. Be sure to visit the Product Focus Page: Chameleon Color Tops to read the reviews, and check out the special Product Focus Gallery filled with beautiful projects created by the design team. Here are the three cards that I made.

My first card is a simple one with a small bouquet of posies.

For my second card, I used a digital image and hand-drew a broken frame and colored it in.

My third card is my favorite because I love hydrangeas. I enjoyed coloring the flower petals with the Color Tops to achieve a nice variation of colors. 

I certainly have loved experimenting and coloring with the Chameleon Pens and the new Color Tops. You will definitely be seeing more cards with them. 

Rather than list my card recipes, please feel free to visit my personal card gallery at Splitcoaststampers for all the details.

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As I close, here is a link to John Piper's Prayer in the Path of Hurricanes. You can listen to it or read the transcript, but I am sure you will be greatly encouraged by it. Among many good avenues for giving and going, please consider The Salvation Army (where my grandfather served many years ago), Samaritan's Purse, and the North American Mission Board's SEND Relief. These organizations and others have been on the ground helping both Harvey and Irma victims.

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and He delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
They they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and He brought them to their desired haven.
Psalm 107:28-30

Thanks so much for visiting with me today, and may we all continue to pray and help those in their distress. May God continue to bless and encourage you! 

Blessings,

Splitcoaststampers Product Focus - ColorBox® INK Premium Dye Mini Inkpads

Hello, sweet friends! Today I get to share a fun project with the Splitcoaststampers' Product Focus Team playing with ColorBox® INK Premium Dye Mini Inkpads. I had so much fun using these adorable ink pads. Here are my three cards that I made.

My first card was using the ink with my Copic markers, my go-to color medium. No smearing at all. 

For my second card, I used a water-resistant ink to stamp my image and then watercolored with the ColorBox® INK Premium Dye Mini Inkpads. I was impressed at how well they interact with water.

I white embossed my third card and watercolored with the ink pads that I once again "smooshed" on a craft mat and sprayed with water. It's amazing how much depth of color I was able to achieve.

I have had fun experimenting and coloring with the ink pads and will definitely enjoy using them for more projects. And who knows...I just may try my hand at a mixed-media project. They certainly lend themselves to that form of stamping.

Please hope over to the ColorBox® INK Premium Dye Mini Inkpads Splitcoaststampers' Product Focus to read what all the designers think about these ink pads. And I encourage you to view all the designer samples in the Product Focus Gallery. You are in for a treat!

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I know so many of my precious friends are facing such difficult trials today, and I continue to pray for each of you. We all have burdens that God allows in our lives. I am always comforted in knowing that God always hears our prayers and cries for help any time of the day or night. May we always be encouraged and trust God through it all. The Scripture verse on my last card is extra special to me. It was one my mom's pastor shared with her during her difficult battle with breast cancer that she eventually lost. I know that she is now with the Lord and find comfort myself in these precious words of hope and encouragement.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable –
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
think on these things.
Philippians 4:8

Thanks so much for visiting with me today and for sharing a comment, thought or question. May you have a beautiful and blessed week! 

Blessings,

Card One:
Stamps:  Butterfly Kisses (Mama Elephant), Hydrangea Blooms (Simon Says Stamp) 

Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, Cool Caribbean (SU!), Subtle Plaids (My Favorite Things)

Ink: ColorBox INK Premium Dye Mini Inkpad – Coal
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Mini MISTI tool, Mini Perfect Layers tool, Mat Pack (SU!), piercing tool, sequins (Verve), Diamond Glaze, white tape

Card Size:  5¼ square
Copics used:  Flower Petals – RV00, V01, V12; Leaves – G40, G43, G82, G94, YG00, YG21; Branch – E35; Shading – B0000, B000, B01, 0

Card Two:

Stamps: Floral Greetings (Sweet 'n Sassy)

Paper: Watercolor paper, Strawberry Slush (SU!)

Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), ColorBox INK Premium Dye Mini Inkpads (Poppy, Limon, Pea Pod, Carrot, Coal)
Tools/Accessories: Timeless Rectangles dies (Spellbinders), Mini Hearts dies (Simon Says Stamp), Fine-Tip Glue Pen (SU!), XTreme Permanent Adhesive (Tombow), Glossy Accents (JudiKins)

Card Size: 4" x 6"
Techniques:  Watercoloring, fussy cutting

Card Three:

Stamps: Beautiful Day (Altenew), Get Well Tulip (Stamp Simply)

Paper: Watercolor, Cameo Coral (SU!), Solar White 110# (Neenah)

Ink: ColorBox INK Premium Dye Mini Inkpads – Poppy, Pea Pod, Limon, Aqua, and Coal; Versafine
Tools/Accessories: White fine detail embossing powder (Simon Says Stamp), Pierced Rectangles dies (ODBD), Mini Perfect Layers tool, Mini MISTI tool, Sea Breeze Crystal Drops (Nuvo), watercolor brushes, XTreme Permanent Adhesive (Tombow)

Card Size:  A-2
Techniques: Watercoloring

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