Random thoughts

So, I'm back from CHA. Had a wonderful time. 

Here's what I discovered (as if I didn't already know):

You really can make friends on-line.

Some unexpected things I loved about the show:

hot dogs for lunch

chocolate softie ice cream cones for a snack

laughing and chatting with people I met by chance

(I get that from my mother)

Some things I didn't love:

LA traffic

coming home to a messy house

Stampin' Sisters in Christ

A blessed Sunday to you! This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

It's my turn to host the challenge at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. I chose the well-known Psalm 23, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." My challenge is to predominately use the colors blue (still waters) and green (green pastures) in your card/project. 

I ran out of time before leaving for CHA to make a card for my own challenge. Can you believe it? I'm so ashamed. But the rest of my design team have lots of beautiful cards to share with you, so be sure to stop by the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog to see their creative inspiration.

So, why did I pick this particular scripture? Isn't it kind of a downer? I mean, don't we usually only hear Psalm 23 read at funerals? What was I thinking?

I was thinking this... that this scripture embodies just about everything wonderful that is yours if you accept Christ as your savior. He is your shepherd... caring for you, leading you, protecting you, comforting you. He restores your soul... trusting in him is the peace that passes all understanding. Because you know him, because he leads you, you desire to travel the paths of righteousness for his sake.

I don't believe "the valley of the shadow of death" necessarily means actual death (although it surely can be), but maybe also the death of something else... the loss of a job, the loss of a friendship, the end of a marriage, a turning point in life that scares you... anything unsettling. But with the Lord by your side, you need not fear! The Lord is with you as you stand against your enemies! In all things you are blessed... your cup overflows! Goodness and mercy (from the Lord) will follow you all the days of your life... and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! This is the promise made by God in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Ultimately, that is the greatest comfort of all.

So don't be sad when you hear or read Psalm 23. Instead, be assured, be comforted, be fearless!

Our sponsor is Taylored Expressions, who is offering the beautiful new Rest & Renewel stamp set as a prize for one lucky player in this week's challenge. So why not join us? I believe you will be blessed. For more inspiration, be sure to stop by the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog to see what the rest of the design sisters have created for you. I also highly recommend visiting each of their blogs... folks often say that reading all the individual devotionals is spiritually refreshing. I have to agree!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed day! 

Sketch Saturday!

 Hello everyone! Time for another fabulous sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday!

Valentines seem to be on my mind lately (*grin*), so I pulled out the sweet papers and embellies from the Taylored Expressions January Key Ingredients kit, images from Love Everywhere, and the Heart Border die and went to work! I love coloring images, but sometimes it's fun to just stamp, don't you think?

To give the image a bit more interest, I first stamped the scene on Choice Snow White cardstock and then embossed it with a Cuttlebug embossing folder featuring sweet little flowers from the Once Upon a Princess bundle. I stamped the little house a second time, cut it out, and popped it over the original image with pop dots. Very easy!

I hope you'll join us for this week's challenge! Our sponsor is The Craft Barn. You'll want to nip over to the Sketch Saturday blog to see what the rest of the design team ladies have come up with for this sketch. So much lovely eye candy!

I'm on my way to a bridal shower this afternoon and then on to CHA to meet up with friends for dinner. Tomorrow will be my first full day at the show. I'll be working in the La-La Land Crafts booth off and on through Tuesday, so be sure to stop by and say hi! We're hosting some wonderful make-and-takes that you won't want to miss!

Have a wonderful day!

Sending you love...

Hey y'all! Happy Thursday! I can't believe it's Thursday already. Gee wiz, where is the time going? And why am I not more caught up? Next week... that's it... I'll get caught up next week after I get back from CHA. Can't wait to go!!!

I was playing around in my neglected craft room last night and whipped up this card. I'm in LOVE with the yummy papers and other goodies in this month's Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit... it works well for both Valentine and birthday cards/projects. I just got the new Wreath of Love Bundle and I'm one happy girl! I can't wait to use the birdies next. I have a special fondness for birds, especially their song. :)

If you haven't already subscribed to Key Ingredients, what are you waiting for? There is an amazing New Subscriber special going on... check the blog for all the deets. There's never a shortage of inspiration, either, in the Gallery. Oh baby!

Thanks for stopping in today! I'll be back soon with more goodies...

Happy Birthday Dear Claire!

Today... January 26th... is a very important day... it's our dear Claire's birthday...the genius behind Waltzingmouse Stamps. Those of us who are privileged to be on her design teams have come together to celebrate and let Claire know how much we love her and appreciate her! The hop waltz begins here. But just in case there's a break along the way, you can find all the links on the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog, where you can also leave your own birthday wishes for Claire.

Claire, I wish you all the best on this, your birthday, and every day. I feel so privileged to not only be your right-hand girl, but your friend. You are a treasure to me! 'Twas fate that brought us together, and I thank my lucky stars. Happy Birthday dear girl!!! With love, from Lisa

Now grab your hanky and continue on to Sandie's blog. She has a special message for you, too! Enjoy your day!

Love is in the air...

Hello all you love-ly ladies out there. Time for another fantastic challenge at Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps!!!

The theme is love, l'amour, amore.

I happen to love this image of Cafe Lucy. I confess, I'm partial to coffee. Gotta have it every morning, and sometimes even at night. I paired Cafe Lucy with patterned paper from Papertrey Ink. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw the challenge graphic... perfect!

The sketch is from Friday Sketchers.

Why not come along and play with us this week? There's a chance you'll win a free stamp! You'll really be inspired when you see what the rest of the design team have come up with for our LOVE theme:

Cindy Haffner, January Guest Designer

Kim Yu

Laurel Seabrook

Simonne Clay

Sparkle Smith

Stephanie Kraft

I also need to mention that this is my last post as a member of Sparkle's design team. It was a hard decision to make 'cause I've loved every minute of being on her team. I am so proud... always will be... that I was part of her inaugural team. And no doubt I will continue to be a customer and enjoy my SCRS stamps for a long time to come. Wait until you see who's joining the team in February! I see lots of wonderful things in store for Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps. ;)

Cheers!

Just Saying Hi

A blessed Sunday to you! This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Our challenge hostess this week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ is Lovely Linda Lucas! She has chosen as her inspiration scripture Jeremiah 31:3, "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Her challenge is to make a vintage style card/project.

God's love is everlasting and unconditional. That's hard for many of us to understand, especially those who have never really experienced unconditional love. Most children are raised to think they need to behave a certain way in order to be loved, and oftentimes parents don't even realize that this is the message they are sending. Many of us have become estranged from someone who was "supposed" to love us unconditionally. And we all know that if we don't behave a certain way... or should I say, we go too far... we will likely lose the love of friends, spouses and family members. No wonder it's hard for our human minds to grasp this concept of everlasting and unconditional love.

But God's everlasting and unconditional love IS there for each of us, my friends. Most assuredly. All sin which separated us from God was washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. This doesn't give us a free ticket to sin with abandon, but it does give us salvation and assurance of life everlasting if we only reach out and accept God's love and have faith in his promises. It's when the going gets tough that it's the most important for us to remember this.

God loves you and he isn't the one doing bad things to you, but he very much wants to help you get through whatever it is that you are experiencing. Trust in this. Believe in this. Reach out for the peace that passes all understanding. It really does make a difference. I promise.

I hope you'll join us for this week's challenge! Designed 2 Delight is our sponsor. Be sure to pop over to the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog to see all the lovely creations by the rest of the design team and to read Linda's devotional on her scripture choice. You will be blessed!

My card features images from one of the new Hero Arts stamp sets, Just Saying Hi. I love the old-fashioned telephones. It's hard to see in the picture, but I used Ranger's Distress Crackle Paint in Clear Rock Candy over the image. The patterned paper is by Echo Park (love it!), which I distressed with an edge tool and sanding block. The flower is by Prima.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a blessed day my friends!

Waltzingmouse Stamps Grand Calibur Party!

Note: this is my second post for today. Please scroll down for Sketch Saturday. Thanks!

Have you heard the news? Waltzingmouse Stamps is hosting a party celebrating our brand new Grand Calibur machines, courtesy of the ultra-generous and ultra-fantastic Spellbinders! You probably already know that Waltzingmouse Stamps is a leader in creating stamps that are "Nestie" friendly, and is product partners with Spellbinders. We couldn't have been more thrilled to have received this gift to enhance our Spellbinders experience!

At first, I didn't think that I really needed a Grand Calibur, but now that I've played with it, it's most definitely a must-have! I can honestly say the cutting is smooth and deep. I love that it suctions to your table for stability and cranks easily. But most of all, I love the larger platform and the way you can lay out and cut all your pieces at once!

My first card demonstrates this perfectly...

First, I laid out all the dies of Blossom on patterned paper and cut them all out in one swipe!

Then I cut the card base by layering two pieces of cardstock under the largest of the Labels 8 die, and cut them at the same time with the second largest of Labels 8 on patterned paper to make the mat. The Grand Calibur cut through both layers of cardstock cleanly and easily!

I then scored the end of what would become the back of my card one quarter inch from the top.

And used strong "red" tape to adhere it to the front of my card...

I rolled and crumpled all of the layers of the Blossom and inked the edges (except for the smallest piece, which I substituted for a brad to hold all the layers together. I also inked the edges of the card base and background mat with Tim Holtz Walnut Stain distress ink, which I used to stamp the greeting from Sewing Box Hugs. Don't be afraid to cut your greetings like I did to make them fit your space. That's the beauty of acrylic stamps!

I also used an image from Sewing Box Hugs in my next card.

I love the simplicity of this card... and I love that I was able to cut the aperture so easily with the Grand Calibur.

I first made the card base, cut a patterned paper mat from Echo Park's Be Mine collection, chose my stamp, and then selected the correct sizes of Spellbinders Classic Rectangles Large to fit my image and allow for the "frame."

I opened up the card, taped the larger die to the patterned paper with Scotch Removable Tape, and used a paper piercer to put tiny holes in the four corners of the smaller die through the card base to mark the spot to cut.

Once the patterned piece was removed, it was easy to take the smaller die and match it up to the tiny holes, tape it down, and then cut both at the same time with the Grand Calibur.

I used the embossing pad that comes with the Grand Calibur to run the card base through one more time to create an embossed edge to my "frame." I love the way it turned out!

Simple pimple, as Claire would say!

Finally, I made a cute card with one of my favorite stamp sets Half Pint Heroes. The dotted circle is from Faux Fun Circles.

This card also follows this week's sketch at Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge. To make the "waves," I first cut the larger die from Jumbo Scalloped Borderabilities Petite and then cut that in half, layering one piece over the other with pop dots. Once again, all I needed was one swipe through the Grand Calibur!

Oh, one thing to note: the recommended sandwich puts Plate C (the cutting plate) on the top. But I always put mine on the bottom and cut "down." I prefer to see where I'm cutting, especially when I'm cutting out a stamped image, like the dotted circle. Also, I removed the tray from my Grand Calibur so that I can easily use 8 1/2 x 11 paper. You can find instructions for this here.

I hope you've been inspired! Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win a stamp set of choice. For more details on all the party festivities and ways to win, hop on over to the Waltzingmouse Stamps blog where you'll find links to the other design team members posting with me today... and those who posted yesterday and will post tomorrow. You won't want to miss all the fun!