COF August challenge

My parents have made their Christmas cards for 63 years, so their creativity was always a big part of me and my sister, Lynn's lives, I guess it is no surprise to see us both addicted to this art form, I decided a Christmas card would be the perfect card to honor them. Thanks for inspiring creativity in us, Mom and Dad. Check out my previous post for more details.

Having to post early due to computer difficulties,and going out of town.

WOYWW 221

It's almost the end of the month and I do an end of the month challenge with my blog group. The theme is doing something to honor your father and mother. My parents have been married 63 years and have made their own Christmas cards every single one of those years. So, I have seen cardmaking done every year of my life. Mom usually designs it and does the art. Dad decides on the sentiment or creates poetry for the inside of them. They start in October most of the time and some years go very smoothly and some years they have to work out their artistic differences in opinion. So, I decided a Christmas card would be the perfect kind of card in which to honor them. I found this little house mouse stamp on for half price today and it reminded of me of their love for one another and their devotion to creating their cards every year for their Christmas list of at least 100 that they mail out. Thanks Mom and Dad for introducing me to this fascination with paper crafting and inspiring me to enjoy the creative side of life.

Thanks for those who visit my desk/mess this week. I look forward to visiting the others I will find over at
Julia Dunnit's Stamping Ground.

C4C200

The challenge this week for Crazy for Challenges was to use an animal stamp. I decided on a CAS for this challenge because this little stamp seems to be perfect for that type of card. The little bones are stickers.
Trying to use up some of the stashed stuff I have in my drawers.

ODBDSLC167 sketch #3

This sketch just did not seem to fit many of my Our Daily Bread Design stamps, so I used the smallest flower from the Sweet Williams set and the sentiments from that set. I embossed the yellow card base, and added some design paper from Graphics 45 as the back panel. The ladybugs are brads that I found this summer at a Scrapbook convention.

Case Study 154

This is for the Case Study 154.  Below is the card to case. I used the acrylic block  to put the color on my white card base.  I used a simple image and a one word sentiment to keep with the CAS one layered card I was going for on this.

SOS Stash 115

The challenge for the SOS Stash 115 challenge was to use your oldest hardware. These hardware pieces have been in my stash for probably 7 years or longer. I made use of some scraps of design papers that were laying on my stamping table and came up with this layout by cutting the Basic Grey design paper into triangles. The stamp I used is from Verve and I colored the letters of joy with a copic marker. The card stock is kiwi kiss. I sponged the middle panel with Memento Peanut Brittle.

WOYWDW220

My sister, Lynn, told me about this challenge. I thought, oh, my goodness, they want a picture of my work desk. Well, I was up early this AM and working on the sketch challenge for Splitcoaststampers. My Flourish stamps seem to be my "go to" stamps this week. I think I have done 3 images of theirs in the last two days. I love coloring with my copic markers and Marcella Hawley's art on those stamps make these look like a masterpiece. That is what I love about rubberstamping: it makes an instant artist out of anyone. Go forth, and produce art! It is so good for the soul!

Head over the What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday #220 and see what others are creating. 

FTTC234 Dainty Doilies

I found this square doily in my stash and decided it was perfect for the Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday challenge today. Love it with the red and white and these strawberries were a great choice of images.
The image is stamped in tuxedo black and colored with Copic markers.

CAS on Sunday

The challenge for CAS on Sunday is floral. I embossed the border, and then added mini punched flowers with pearl centers. I stamped an SU thank you sentiment.  The challenge can be found here.

JUGS202

The challenge was to make a blue monochromatic card. I needed some thank you cards so I made this for that purpose. The ink used was nautical navy, and I found various blue design papers in my scrap pile. I love cards I can generate from my scrap piles. Also used a few blue buttons as added embellishment.

ODBDSLC 166

The challenge this week is a sketch challenge over at the Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light challenge.  I love this ODBD stamp of Christ's head and find it difficult to design with at times. But I think it fit in rather well with this sketch and mixed with stamps from the cross set that is also from ODBD.  It doesn't show so much in the photo, but I stamped the cross background  with thyme ink, stamped the  cross with tuxedo black ink. On the background of the circle with Christ's head, I stamped the cross background in thyme ink on the white circle before I stamped the head image. I added to diecut vines and leaves to represent the life He gave us. He is the vine, We are  the branches, and I am seeking every day to stay abiding in Him. Have a blessed Sunday.

SC449

I love the spiritual inspiration of the words on many of the stamp sets offered by Sweet and Sassy Stamps. This set is from Sweet and Sassy and has been one of my favorite "go to " stamps for the summer.  Grouped with this great design paper from Graphics 45 and using today's sketch over on the Sketch Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers, I think I might even use this as my WordARt Wednsday card today. Look for God in everything around you this day, and continue to grow in His grace and His righteousness. And may all honor, glory and praise me unto Him.  Happy Hump day!

FLLCAUG13

What a pretty color combo this is that FLLCAUG13 has for their challenge this month. I stamped this Flourish bouquet with tuxedo black and then used my copic markers for coloring. The embossing was done with a Darice embossing plate I purchased in July at a scrapbook convention here in the Houston area. I really liked how it looks with this bouquet. The teal cardstock is a back panel to the whole card. The card actually opens with the card base which is the rust layer. I used some tarnished silver cardstock for my gray. to get all the colors of the challenge in.

HMFMC151

What a great way this little guy has to cool off on a hot summer day! The theme for HMFMC151 is Liquid Refreshment and this little guy is certainly refreshing himself. I love that look of pleasure that is on his face. I used copic markers to color this image and then used  a little speckles to add the sparkle to  his condensation collecting glass. The papers are from Basic Grey and the cardstock from Stampin' Up. I've had this ribbon for a year and finally found the perfect sparkly place to put it. I added a yellow flower to pick up on the yellow flower coming out of his glass. Hope if you are in the heat of things you follow suit like this little guy and drive into something wet and wild. Happy Summer!

C4C197 and Little Red Wagon challenge

Don't you just love it when there are two challenges that are the same for the same week?
So this card is for the Crazy for Challenges 197  and The Little Red Wagon challenge #197. I seem to see a pattern here. This stamp is a little more tedious than the ones I usually use for paper piecing, but I thought this image was so cute from Graphics 45. The sentiment is from Sweet and Sassy stamps. 
My state of Texas has been suffering a drought the past couple of summers, and there is some rain in the weekend forecast for some parts of Texas, so let this little sentiment be my little prayer to those of you that are still in the driest parts of Texas. 

ODBDSLC165

I always look forward to the new weekly challenge over at Our Daily Bread Designs. This week it was a sketch challenge which are always  more challenging for me. Getting things cut near the correct size and getting the placement just right. Isn't that what I do to God sometimes? I worry too much about saying things in the correct ways that I fail to speak the words that just come from my heart. God doesn't expect me to come up with the exact words or being in the most appropriate setting. That's why He sent the Holy Spirit. I just need to remember to let Him be my guide and provider. So, His daily blessing to me is the gift of the Spirit, which Christ died for us to have.

FTTC232

Although this looks gray in the picture, the card base is actually always artichoke. I stamped the white background with one of the other images in this Flourishes set with tuxedo black. I colored the lily of the valley with copic markers.  I added the seam binding bow for the final addition. This is for the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge, which was to stamp a background.

COF July challenge

Thanks, Kelly for this challenge, and thanks for the reminder that mine was not done, So I'm a few days late, but I did this card in about 10 minutes. I have all my beach and water stamps in a tub together so it was easy to locate this one, which is a retired Stampin' Up stamp. It has always been one of my favorites. I always love wading along the shoreline of a beach. I love how the incoming waves bring little treasures in with it and it also changes and rearranges the sand on the beach too.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water

 will flow from within them."

 ~ John 7:38

So, as this scripture tells us, living water flows within believers. Just as this ocean water is beaming with life, and has the might and force to change the shoreline, so is God's power within us. We are filled with the plans He has for us and in His power He can change and rearrange those things that do not fit in His plans so that He is glorified and His great love flows on. 

Have a blessed weekend and take some time to worship God for all the glorious things He has done, is doing, and will do.