A Sweet Square

Today I want to share a square card made for The Designer Challenge over at My Creative Time.

I chose a stamp inspired by a recent day trip with my family. We have had so much rainfall lately that the TVA decided that they needed to release water out of Fontana Dam. We have been camping there for years and I have never seen the water released through the spillway. This picture was taken from the top of the dam. I am truly blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

This picture is at the bottom of the dam with my guys :)

How did this inspire my card? During our drive from the top of the dam to the bottom we stopped at the local ice cream shop and enjoyed a very sweet treat. I was also badly beaten in a game of checkers by the little guy but I try not to dwell on that.

I colored the image with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and backed it with green vellum paper punched with Martha Stewart's Loops. The designer paper is DCWV Sweet Shoppe stack. Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Catch a Wave

This evening I was in the mood to play with my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. I am still learning how to blend and get the right color combination. I used a digital stamp from Pollycraft called "Summer Things - Cool Cat." I am entering this in ABC35 "Anything Goes" Challenge.

The paper is from My Mind's Eye "Fine& Dandy" 6x6 pack. I think I'll go color some more. 

Have a blessed day!

A Baby's Bib

There are lots of babies being born lately. Two of my colleagues have had babies in the past month (one with twins) and our pastor just became a grandpa. So I have been busy making baby cards. I didn't snap a picture of the first two so I can only share one today.

I saw a picture on Pinterest of a cute baby bib card but when I went to find a cut file for it I was out of luck. I visited all of my favorites (Lettering Delights, SVG Cuts, The Cutting Files, Silhouette Store, and the MTC Gallery) and was unable to find the bib I was looking for. I searched for an image that I could pixel trace and still no luck. Finally I had to resort to making my own.

Since I made my own I would like to share the file.

Now, I've never shared a file before so if you are unable to download please leave me a note and I will work on it some more. I have chosen to use Google Drive to do this. To download just click on the format you would like MTC format or SVG format.

Thanks for stopping by and if you use the file I would love to see what you do with it. Leave me a note and a link and I'll come visit.

Have a blessed day!

A Little Old and A Little New

My mother-in-law's birthday was yesterday and I actually had some free time to craft. My father-in-law had asked me to create a card for him to give to her and of course I had to make one from us. This first card is the one I made for my father-in-law to give to her. The "little old" is the use of the phrase "live, laugh, love." It's one of my favorite phrases to use because I find it suitable for a variety of situations. The "little new" is to challenge myself to use MTC to weld the words together instead of using my stamp. The flowers are also a new purchase from the local store.

 

This second card is the one from us. The "little old" is the flower stamp which I have had for years and is well used. The "little new" is the sewing. I do not sew but love the look on cards. I found a simple crafters sewing machine for $9 and thought I would try it out. I used Spectrum Noir alcohol markers to color which is still a technique I want to get better at.

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to look.
Have a blessed day!

A Sympathy Card

My SILs mother passed away this past week and I wanted to make a special card for her. I was inspired by Jin Yong's post on Simple Shapes at Under A Cherry Tree.

The entire project was done with MTC and cut with my Silhouette Cameo. I started with a 3" and a 2.5" square, stacked them, and did a Boolean Join. Next, I copied and pasted (in place) three other squares. I overlapped them slightly and welded them together. The words are Script MT Bold font with the letters welded together. I placed the words just touching the frame and did another weld. The butterfly is from LDs  Cloud Nine set. I created a shadow with blackout and was finished within a few minutes.

On the inside I printed "... and the greatest of these is love." to complete the verse from 1 Corinthians 13. The bling was put on with my irock tool.

I know it has been awhile since I posted so I don't know if anyone out there even reads these posts; but if you do, thanks for letting me share. If you are so inclined please pray for my SIL. This was sudden and she needs to feel God's strength to help her through.

Have a blessed day!

Bride & Groom Wedding Card

One of the young ladies from our church got married today. I wanted to make her an extra special card. I decided to use Patricia Zapata's Ring Box Cut It from Lettering Delights. I used my Silhouette Cameo and Make the Cut. The top of the box is backed with a piece of colored vellum.

The lace is from the $1 bin at AC Moores and was wrapped around the edge. White self-adhesive pearls were used at each intersection of the rings. I liked how both added a little elegant look and went with the theme of a wedding card.

For the card, I used an image from the internet of a bride & groom holding hands. Pixel trace with MTC made cutting the image out very easy. The corner I found in the MTC gallery. The cardstock is a metallic blue that has a shimmer to it.

I used the embossing folder Butterfly Kisses from Craft Concepts on a piece of white vellum. I colored the back of the butterflies with my Spectrum Noir TB4 marker.

Finally the box was a little too deep for a single card so I cut a piece of white cardstock an inch larger in both dimensions, folded it an inch on each side, trimmed the corner pieces, and put it in the box. This lifted the card to the top. The ribbon is threaded through small slits I made in the bottom of the box and tied on top.

I am entering this in Ashley's Welch Creations Challenge #7, the ABC DT Challenge "Graduation or Wedding" card,  and the Cardz TV Challenge #109 "Say I Do"

By the way, the wedding was beautiful. Have a blessed day!

Get Well Fast

I like sketch challenges but I don't participate as often as I would like. I have started following Allison at Stampin' When I Can. She has a weekly post where people can add their sketch challenges. It's great to have so many to choose from.

Yesterday I had some time to make a get well card for a little boy who had surgery. I followed the Mojo Monday Sketch 242. I used an image from LD's Fast Car graphic set. The lettering was done with Silhouette Studio. I'm not real happy with the button. I thought I could put a trophy but didn't find what I was looking for. Fisher and I included a Hot Wheels coloring book, crayons, and a Hot Wheel for him to enjoy while he is recovering.

Thanks for the visit.

Have a blessed day!

You Make the Grade

In January I took a position as an instructional high school math coach. My desire is to assist teachers in their professional development. I have been asked several times if I like it better than teaching. It's like asking if I like the beach or the mountains. They are both beautiful and wonderful in their own way. The difference between the jobs has been that I had close to 14 years of teaching. I understood my job and what I was expected to do on a daily basis. Now, I am learning about my new job and not always sure what is expected or how to do it. I'm enjoying the challenge and know that I have more to learn.

Why am I sharing about my new job? This past month I planned and implemented a Lesson Study. This gave the opportunity for a group of teachers to come together and plan a lesson. Afterwards, one teacher taught the lesson while the others observered and collected data. We then debriefed the lesson and made adjustments. It was successful and there are plans to continue this practice next year.

I wanted to make a card for the teacher who opened up her classroom and taught the lesson. She did an awesome job! I chose to use a sketch from Kathy's Waffle Sketch.

Here's my take on the sketch. I used My Favorite Things Pure Innocence You Make the Grade stamp. I wanted a soft look to the girl so I used colored pencils. The papers are from DCWV Cafe Mediterranean. I really liked the orange. The flowers are Prima and teh apple is a button from my stash.

Thanks for visiting. Have a blessed day!

Birthday Flower

My niece turned one and so I made her a birthday card. The flower is from the Mulberry Lane Too svg from Lettering Delights. I brought it into the Silhouette Design software, traced several times for the different layers, and then cut them out.

I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the flower with Swiss Dots folder. For the stem and leaves I simple used an embossing tool to create the vines.

Have a blessed day!

Up, Up, and Away

Ashley over at Welch Creations has posted a challenge to make a shaped card. I decided to join in by creating this hot air balloon card for my sweet cousin.

The balloon is from LD Balloon Craze. I used Make-the-Cut to import the file straight from my LD library. For the card base a made a shadow layer with blackout slightly larger than the balloon itself. I copied the image, reflected it vertically, then welded the two shadows at the top.

The pattern paper is from DCWV Nana's Kids Stack. I used stickles to accent the ribbon and small gems for a little bling. I embossed the basket using the Diamonds in the Rough folder and popped it using foam pop dots.

Have a blessed day!

A Child of God

When the Stampin' Sisters in Christ set the challenge to create a project that showed who you really are I thought about how I got started. About 14 years ago a small rubber stamp store opened up not far from the school I was teaching at and some friends and I went to check it out. We signed up for a class and from there I was hooked. This hobby had a simple beginning: a shoe box with some ink and stamps, a file folder with paper, and the kitchen table. In Corinthians 9:7 we are instructed to "give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." I found joy in giving cards to others. My hobby has greatly expanded over the years to encompass an entire corner of my livingroom.

Although I now scrapbook and make other crafty gifts I consider myself a cardmaker. I stamped this little girl. Doesn't she look like a great friend? Ready to listen and talk all night? I embossed her with clear embossing powder and then colored her with Bic Mark-It markers. I did purchase a copic blending pen which has made a difference. I still continue to work on coloring with the markers. The phrase is from My Pink Stamper. Here is a closer picture of the little girl. I just really like this stamp.

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Two Birthdays

Several Saturday's in a row we had nothing planned and I'm certainly not complaining; however, this past Saturday we had two birthday parties at the same time. Friends of ours that moved away a few years ago were having a party for their little girl who is the same age as my son. A couple in my church just adopted a 7 year old boy and they had a birthday party for him. Unfortunately, they were scheduled for the same time so we had to chose. We decided to go with the one we committed to first and so went to the girl's party. We also knew we would be seeing the little boy today. Anyway, I have written all of that to be able to share two birthday cards today.
For the little girl I used a stamp set from Delta called A Kid for Every Season. I also used my nestabilities to create the medallion and layers. I embossed some flowers with my cuttlebug and used my I-rock gem setter to put the bling on the bottom. I have been playing with coloring with the Bic Mark-It markers (being unable to afford the Copics). I really like how bold the markers are compared to my usual coloring medium colored pencils.

I have seen numerous versions of this rocket card however didn't have a cut file for it. I googled for a rocket image and this is what I found. I did a pixel trace in MTC and within a few minutes I was ready to cut. My son really likes it so I think the little boy will too.

Thanks for taking the time to visit. I'm working on a project for a Sweatheart Banquet. I hope to share soon.

Have a blessed day!

Pastor Appreciation

Tomorrow we will be showing our appreciation to our pastor and his wife. They have been a blessing to our church and community. Here is the card I made for them.

I was inspired by Kristine B at Bee Creative... Ink Something. (I have linked it to the card she created in 2008 but be sure to click on the top header and check out her blog. She is quite talented.)

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a blessed day!

A Quick Card to Share

Trying to keep up and share something at least once a week. Hmmmm.... should I put that in writing? They say that putting your goals in writing helps you stay on target so I think I'll leave it there. We'll see how things go.

Today I am sharing a card I made in July for my pastor's son who was getting married. The heart is cut from Plantin Schoolbook and embossed with Divine Swirls folder. The paper is from My Mind's Eye. I kept playing with the placement of the heart and felt it needed more. At the time I wasn't so please with it but now that I look at it with fresh eyes I really like the simplicity of the card.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Hope you have a blessed day!

Sending Oceans of Wishes

A friend of ours has been struggling with kidney stones. Today he had surgery so Fisher and I made him a couple of cards. The whale is from the Create a Critter cart. The lettering is from Plantin Schoolbook and Zoo Life. When I put the googley eyes on they gave the whale a great personality.
For Fisher's card, he wanted to use a crab. (We were watching Deadliest Catch while we were discussing what to do which is what started the ocean themed cards.) He did the entire design. He even used the gypsy to get it ready to cut. He is quite determined to do it all. He only asks help in writing what he wants to say.

Thanks for taking the time to visit. Have a blessed day.

Easter Egg Card

During my latest visit to the MTC discussion forum I found the egg card cut file from Shelly aka paperflowers and the cross image from Suzan. I put them together and made this card for my grandmother. The cardstock is Recollections. The pattern paper is DCWV. I added some stickles for a little glimmer.

I embossed the cross and used a stipple brush to give it texture and depth. The flowers and ribbon are from my stash.

Thanks for visiting. Have a blessed day!

A Swinging Baby Card

I would like to share this baby shower card I made for a friend. I was inspired by Cheryl at Nana's Creative Space in which she had made several swing cards. She directed me to Angela at Simple Creations Paper Crafts who had a video on how to make a swing card. The process is fairly simple and I think the fold is super cute. The parents do not know whether the baby is a boy or a girl so I incorporated all colors into the card. I cut the chick from the Create a Critter cart at 2 1/4". The "Welcome little one" is a vellum piece I found in my sticker binder. I used the Crop-a-dile to puch the holes for the flowers brads and I embossed the yellow pieces with the Swiss Dots folder and my Cuttlebug. As the card begins to open you can see the center section begin to swing. I wanted to put a bow on the chick's head with a little bling but restrained myself to stay gender neutral.

Now the inside is exposed revealing a sweet sentiment also in vellum. As you can see I chose to put the bow on this side. I countered the bow with a cute little frog in the bottom right corner. It is from a micropunch from Creative Memories.

I can see a few more of these cards in my future. It was fun to make and so many different places to be creative. Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day.