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Patriotic Invitation

Just a simple invitation I made for my daughter's AHG Stars & Stripes Award Ceremony. She colored the flag image on each one. I think she did a lovely job. Please excuse the imperfect parts of the card that I did. These were done in a bit of a hurry.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Canvas, God Bless America by Our Daily Bread Designs, saying printed off computer

CS: SU Night of Navy, Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy, Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White

Inks: Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, black printer ink

Other: Park Lane Star and Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles embossing folders, Nestabilities Large Pinking Circles die, Nestabilities Classic Circles Small die, Copic markers, red & white ribbon, foam tape

Christmas wedding card

I have never made a wedding card with a Christmas theme before, so this is my first time trying to combine the two. My daughter's fiance's aunt (got that?) asked me to make her a card with this in mind. So here's what I came up with:



I had a whimsical saying stamp from The Angel Company that went perfectly with the wedding cake from SU Sweet Treats. All I had to do was use green and red and make it a bit festive and it would work. The tricky part was the inside sentiment. I didn't have one in a similar font, and had I been more together I probably could've hunted down the font and made my own sentiment. Oh, well. As it was I was in a hurry to make this card in the midst of all the painting I was doing. Which is now why I'm only posting this in January, weeks after making the card.

To festive it up I used gems. They always jazz up a card. And I have them in my stash.



Another way I jazzed it up was to use a glimmer spray on the cake itself. I blocked the red ribbon and the flowers so it would only go on the cake. I did this by making a copy of the image and cutting out the parts I wanted to get glimmer spray on, leaving the rest to cover the other parts.



For the inside sentiment I used the I Corinthians 13 stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs because every married couple needs to know what love truly is.




I also carried some of the elements from the front to the inside.

I enjoyed sharing this card with you. I hope you have a marvelous new year filled with many blessings!

Stamps: SU Sweet Treats, TAC wedding saying, Our Daily Bread Designs I Corinthians 13 sentiment (inside)

CS: White, Red, SU Old Olive, Black0

Inks: Brilliance Graphite Black, SU Real Red

Other: Cuttlebug Polka Dots and Birds and Swirls embossing folders, Nestabilities Scallop oval, and regular oval dies, SU Scallop Trim border punch, various Copic markers, glimmer spray, red gingham ribbon, clear ep, foam tape, gems, 1/8" hole punch

Best Wishes, Eagle Scout!

Not my Eagle Scout, but another boy in my son's troop who helped him on his Eagle Project 2&1/2 years ago, and has now become an Eagle himself. I wanted to create a card that said "Boy Scouts" with what I already had. Thankfully, I had a nice eagle image from my Our Daily Bread Designs' set, In God We Trust.

I did a decent amount of heat embossing on the card. The sentiment is HE'd on a thick piece of vellum (close-up below), the eagle is HE'd (including the marks on his brown body - seen below - which I added by hand using a stick and dipping it in Brilliance Graphite Black ink and then covering it in clear EP).

I did some paper piercing around the star.

And I folded the sentiment to where it's arched on the front and flat on the back. Then I trimmed the edge with scissors and held it together with a brad.

I used Forest Branches to emboss the side panels. I stamped the background scene from SU Yukon on the top of one panel.

Scouts are always doing things involving ropes and such, so I thought I'd carry that theme with the leather strips and the jumbo eyelets. Made me think of tents for some reason. The old kind, I guess. All the cardstock was done with direct to paper with its coordinating ink to give the feel of leather or khaki canvas.

I hope you like my scouting card! I enjoyed doing a masculine card for a change!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs In God We Trust, SU Sincere Salutations, SU Yukon

CS: SU True Thyme, SU Chocolate Chip, White, Black, vellum

Inks: SU True Thyme, SU Chocolate Chip, Brilliance Graphite Black, Vintage Photo and Antique Linen Distress Inks, various Copic markers

Other: Cuttlebug Forest Branches embossing folder, Nestabilities Large Pinking Circle and Star dies, jumbo eyelets, khaki brad, leather strips, red grosgrain ribbon, paper piercing tool, sponge dauber, ticket corner punch, clear EP

The Lord is my Light

Another rose. Once I start making them it's hard to stop, I love them so. This was my first card using the new PaperTrey Ink Stamper's Select white cs and the ATG 714 adhesive. The fumes were really bothering me at first, but the smell seems to have dissipated a bit. Maybe I should get the regular adhesive (924) instead?

About the PaperTrey Ink card stock, it's niiiiice. Good and stiff and crisp. Very substantial. Took ink very well. I definitely will enjoy using it. The black cs on this card is the True Black from their sampler pack. Very nice. More toward the reddish black than the blue-ish. Closer to SU's.

I tried doing something to keep the designer paper from cracking when I ran it through the Cuttlebug. I added another piece of card stock behind it in the embossing folder. It mostly worked. The imprint isn't as strong, but almost no cracks appeared. It's a trade-off, I guess.

I was a tad sloppy on the ribbon and mini-brad embellishments, mainly because the ribbon pinches when I punch a hole in it. And I didn't even try to line the brads up perfectly. It has a bit more charm that way, right? I like it anyway.

I left the inside blank so I can use it for a generic note of encouragement. I would've cuttlebugged the dp inside, but forgot until after I had glued everything down. This ATG adhesive is good and strong! Really love it despite the fumes.

As you can see, I used a black Velcro dot to help keep the card closed.

Can't think of anything else to add. TFL, and have a lovely day! Pray for Haiti!




Recipe

Stamps: SU Roses in Winter, Our Daily Bread Designs Light of the World

CS: Papertrey Ink True Black, PPI SS White, Memory Box Rhubarb Tart designer paper

Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, SU Ruby Red, SU Old Olive, SU Always Artichoke, Antique Linen Distress Ink

Other: Nestabilities Large Classic Inverted Scalloped Circle, Standard Circle Large, Cuttlebug Floral Screen embossing folder, paper piercing tool, sponge mat, silver mini-brads, black zigzag ribbon, ticket corner punch, Sticky Doos, 3D-Dots, 1/16" hole punch, black Velcro dot

Sing and Make Music in Your Heart to the Lord!

Well, I got some fun stamping in yesterday since it rained the whole day and I felt a need to create. This card started out with lots more green in it and little black, but transformed over time to this heavily blue and black creation. With as much ribbon that I have, you'd think I'd use more variety. What can I say? I just can't get enough of the black and white stuff!

The inspiration came from Angella's card with her button flowers. I loved the tied ribbon in the button holes idea. Despite having a rainbow of buttons, what did I pick? Black! I'm hopeless!



Anywho...I wanted to play with my new Shapeabilities/Poseabilities Flower Creations 3 set. So that was where I started. I figured I could use a button for the center and add the ribbon. It's really tricky getting ribbon through a button hole, but I just used a small embroidery needle with a large eye and folded the ribbon in half lengthwise on the end to fish it through the eye. The needle with the ribbon took a bit of pulling to get through, but it did make it through. If you have one of those rubber grabbing pads you use for opening jars, I think it would work well in helping to grab and pull the needle.

For the holes around the oval, I used the same oval nestie die, placed the cut paper oval back into the die, front facing down and then turned it to face up and held it down on my sponge mat while I punched the holes. The inner edge of the die worked well as a template. For the flower, I just did it freehand, punching in the corners and ends first, then in the centers of the rows and then filling in evenly the rest of the spaces. Does that make sense?



For the blue bird on the oval I stamped in SU Bashful Blue ink and then in CTMH Crystal Blue ink to get the color as close as possible to the blue in the Basic Grey paper. I sponged the edges of the oval with CTMH Blush ink.

You'll notice I used Cuttlebug folders on this card. I used Script and Perfectly Paisley.

Although it's barely noticeable, I will point out that I stamped SU Canvas on the SU Soft Sky cs in VersaMark ink.

This card fits in an envelope like the ones in this post. The size of the envelope is 4.75"X6.5".

This was a fun and enjoyable card to make. I hope you enjoyed looking at it! Have a blessed Sunday!

Recipe

Stamp: Our Daily Bread Designs Sing to the Lord, SU Canvas

CS: Black, SU Soft Sky, Basic Grey Lemonade 6X6" pad, white

Inks: SU Bashful Blue, CTMH Crystal Blue, CTMH Blush, Versafine Onyx Black, VersaMark

Other: Cuttlebug Script and Perfectly Paisley embossing folders, Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Oval Small, Classic Oval Scallop Small, Poseabilities (Shapeabilities) Flower Creations 3, paper piercing tool, sponge mat, black button, black gingham ribbon, 3D-Dots, sponge dauber

The Lord is My Light

Happy Tuesday to you! I am pre-posting this on Sunday since I'll be offline most of this week. Hope your holiday weekend was a good one! We stayed home and grilled burgers and hot dogs and had our own mini fireworks display on our driveway, thanks to hubs getting a fireworks set at Sam's Club. It was just right for us: not too big, not too small. And on top of that we watched all the fireworks going on all around us! It was a noisier 4th this year. My guess is that people are looking for something positive in these financially difficult days and fireworks can certainly lift one's spirit!

This card has nothing to do with Independence Day, but it does have to do with the difficult times we're in. Fear certainly can play a big role in how we function on a daily basis. Our president and congress are certainly giving us much to fear about; but I want my hope to be in the Lord, not the government or the economy, for nothing is impossible with God!

So about this card. Pretty straightforward. Lots of cuttlebugging and nestie fun!

It all started with the Basic Grey paper from the Cupcake collection. From there I chose my ink colors for the scene. I used sponge daubers and sponged Bashful Blue and Summer Sun inks to create the surf and sky. I find that when using regular cardstock, sponging on the color looks better than trying to color it on with markers or a water brush and ink pad.

For the sun, I used a piece of cardstock that I punched a circle out of as a template. I laid it over the spot where I wanted it to be and sponged Apricot Appeal ink over it, getting it in good around the edges and sponging less in the middle. The girl is done mainly with markers and a water brush, but I also used Prismacolor pencils on her legs and arms.



I love this Scripture from the Psalms. What a comfort it is!



I also love this one inside the card from the book of John. Jesus spoke these words. Who better to listen to, yes? He Who is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last! He would know!



And of course, I had to add a little bling.



By the time this posts I hope to be done with my grandma closet. I have some shelves to finish painting and some touching up to do (is there ANY way to avoid drips??) and then I will happily put back everything and step back and admire my old-fashioned closet!

I pray the Scriptures on this card encourage you to look to the Lord for your peace and contentment. The world can't give true, lasting peace, but He can! So why look there?

Blessings!

Recipe

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Seaside Sketches, Stampin' Up! Canvas (on blue base), ODBD Light of the World, inside Bible verse by Biblical Impressions (?)

CS: Brocade Blue, black, Basic Grey Cupcake dp, white

Inks: Bashful Blue, Summer Sun, Versafine Onyx Black, Apricot Appeal

Markers: Sage Shadow, Mellow Moss, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Summer Sun

Other: Cuttlebug Perfectly Paisley and Distressed Stripes embossing folders, Nestabilities Classic Oval Small, Classic Oval Scallops Small, Long Classic Scalloped Rectangles Large and Long Classic Rectangles Large, gold gems, 3D Dots, black rick-rack ribbon, Sticky Doos (for behind Scripture piece), Prismacolor pencils, water brush

Sing for Joy!

Good day to you! I'm not sure what I'll be doing today, but if it's not too hot I hope to get some gardening done with my 13 yo. She loves to plant things and I need to get some more seeds in the ground!

This is another jazzed up simple card. Simple in design, jazzed up in embellishing. I used Prismacolor pencils to color in the bird scene and outlined it with my C1 Copic marker. Ran it through the Cuttlebug with the...what else...Tiny Bubbles folder. At least I used something different on the dp! The argyle ef is so versatile. It can go masculine (as on my Father's Day card) or feminine as in this card.

Here's a look at the inside:



I love this ODBD set! I hope to play with it more in the near future. Birds make me happy! Aren't they just the most cheerful creatures? Okay, maybe buzzards and crows aren't, but you know what I mean!

Take care and be blessed!

Recipe

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Sing to the Lord

CS: Black, Memory Box Brandywine dp, white

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Other: Cuttlebug Argyle and Tiny Bubbles embossing folders, Oval Classic and Scallop Nestabilities, Prismacolor pencils, C1 Copic marker, Stamp-a-ma-jig, gingham ribbon, Sticky Doos

Happy Memorial Day!

Thanks to all those who have fought and died for the freedoms we enjoy! We owe you so much.

For this card I used the Mojo Monday sketch challenge for Week 87.

Have a blessed holiday! We'll be barbecuing and relaxing!

Stamps: God Bless America, Pledge of Allegiance and In God We Trust sets by Our Daily Bread Designs

CS: Black, Brocade Blue (DTPed with Bashful Blue ink), white, More Mustard, Real Red

Inks: Bashful Blue, Versafine Onyx Black, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel

Other: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and D'Vine Swirls embossing folders, Nestabilities Large Pinking Circles and Classic Circles Small, 1&1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Fiskars Diamond border punch, Bashful Blue marker, Rose Red marker, piercing tool, sponge mat, star template, sewing machine, jumbo black brads, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Post-It Note (for blocking), Sticky Doos, 3D-Dots, Crop-a-Dile

Grand Old Flag

If I told you how many hours I spent trying to get this card done, you would fall over in disbelief. But it's done, praise God! This was one prayed-for card!

Sometimes it's that way when I sit down to stamp. Other times it comes right to me and everything works. But most of the time I do struggle a bit, at least, to get it to where I like it.

This card actually started yesterday. It's gone through so many metamorphoses that I don't think much of the original idea is even evident in the finished product at this point. It was to start with the flag stamp from the God Bless America set by Our Daily Bread Designs.

I tried many different ideas and color schemes and got closer to the finish line once I picked those Sizzix Architectural Accents corners and a piece of Ruby Red card stock. I DTPed the RR cs with Ruby Red ink and sponged the edges with Versafine Onyx Black ink and voila! I was inspired! I don't know if it's sacrilegious to have a bit of an Oriental theme for an American flag card, but I like it.

Nifty tip alert! The sandwich I use for this particular Sizzix die in my Cuttlebug is A+1 piece of scrap cs+B+die (facing up)+cs+B. Basically, it's the sandwich for the embossing folders plus an extra piece of cs tucked in between the A and B plates to add just a bit of extra thickness. If you use designer paper, the extra piece of cs might not be necessary. Experiment on scraps to find the best sandwich for your machine.

To get those die cut corners to stick I ran them through my Xyron Create-a-Sticker (Model 150) using permanent adhesive and then used a rubber eraser to remove the goo that was visible once they were positioned into place.

For the flag, I stamped it in Versafine Onyx Black ink on white cs and colored it with Ruby Red and Night of Navy SU markers. Then I DTPed it with Tim Holtz's Antique Linen Distress Ink. While it was still damp I crumpled it up and spread it out. This caused it to rip a bit which I liked. It gave it an old feel. Old, worn flags are the dearest.

The Pledge circle was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Creamy Caramel cs and then DTPed with Antique Linen ink. Then it was sponged with the black ink around the edges.

TFL and have a wonderful weekend!

Stamps: I Pledge Allegiance single stamp and God Bless America by Our Daily Bread Designs

CS: Black, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, white

Inks: SU Ruby Red, Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink

Other: Cuttlebug, Sizzix Architectural Accents die, Nestabilities Large Pinking Circles, Standard Circle Small and Long Classic Rectangles Large, sponge daubers, SU Ruby Red marker, SU Night of Navy marker, gingham ribbon, Sticky Doos (for flag to raise up high), 3D-Dots, Xyron Create-a-Sticker Model 150 with permanent adhesive, rubber eraser

Rightly govern

I love this George Washington quote: "It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible." How true that is. We are seeing unprecedented evil creeping into our laws because those who create them are not looking to the One greater than they for guidance. They have taken God's place in deciding what is right and wrong and now moral relativism rules the day. *sigh*

Anywho, this is a gatefold card. I love doing these so much that I created a category in my sidebar for them.

I wanted to play with a Memory Box Glitterati paper I really like because it goes so well with the Daisy Dreams Lagoon Prima and the cream daisy Prima. I ran the panels of dp through the Cuttlebug using the Distressed Stripes ef. Then I sponged them a bit with Sage Shadow ink to cover up the cracks in the DP (this happens to thinner papers like DPs). Then I used the Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template to do a little paper piercing in the corners.

I had gotten the Pinking Nestabilities for Mother's Day and couldn't wait to play with them. What a fun shape! I pierced holes around the pinked edges. Not sure how easy it is to see, though.

For the eagle from ODBD In God We Trust set I stamped on white cs with Sage Shadow ink. Then I stamped over it with a quote from the God Bless America set in Versafine Onyx Black ink. Then I sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel inks.

I put the teal flower on top of the cream flower with some Mono Multi glue. Then I stuck them on the card using 2 Sticky Doos because they are so thick and would allow the flowers to stand up high enough.

And of course, I can't seem to make a card these days without using ye olde ticket corner punch, although I TRY to refrain!

I forgot to mention that I did DTP to the Chocolate Chip base with Chocolate Chip ink. It adds such a richness to the look, almost looks like leather.

TFL! Hope you have a good day! I'm a bit down as we had to put our old dog to sleep yesterday. He was a sweetie and it was the hardest decision to make. Poor thing had terrible arthritis in his back legs and got to where he couldn't stand or walk anymore. I miss him so!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs In God We Trust and God Bless America

CS: Chocolate Chip, black, Memory Box Glitterati, white

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Versafine Onyx Black, Creamy Caramel

Other: Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes embossing folder, Nestabilities Large Pinking Circles, Standard Circle Small, ticket corner punch, paper piercer, sponge mat, Ornare Decorative Corners paper piercing template, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Prima Daisy Dreams Lagoon flowers, Sticky Doos, 3D-Dots, sponge daubers, black organdy ribbon

Daisy Pledge of Allegiance

I went lighter on the blue with this card because I wanted to showcase the lovely blue Primas from the Daisy Dreams Lagoon collection. Thankfully, each Prima flower set also comes with some creamy white flowers, so there is lots of versatility there.

I used the flag stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs' God Bless America set and the I Pledge Allegiance single stamp.

I'm really happy with the way this flag turned out. I stamped it in Versafine Onyx Black ink on plain white cs. Then I colored the blue area with an SU Bashful Blue marker. I colored the red stripes with an SU Ruby Red marker. I touched up the flag's black lines with my Special Black Copic marker since I didn't get a strong impression and didn't want to waste the image. With a light hand I was able to improve things without making it look overdone.

I used Brocade Blue cs because it matched so well with the 2 coats of Bashful Blue ink I had applied.

The red gingham ribbon reminds me of picnics (checked table cloths) and this card has that 4th of July feel about it. And what do we usually do on the 4th? Picnic!

Thanks for looking! Hope you have a great weekend! Pray for our nation!

Stamps: I Pledge Allegiance single stamp and God Bless America by Our Daily Bread Designs

CS: Real Red, black, Brocade Blue, white

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black

Other: Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles and Traffic Jam embossing folders, Nestabilities Classic Oval Scallops Large and Classic Oval Large, Prima Daisy Dreams Lagoon flower collection, paper piercer, sponge mat, red gingham ribbon, ticket corner punch, Bashful Blue marker, Ruby Red marker, 3D-Dots, Sticky Doos (behind flowers)

ODBD May Release Day!! Blessed is the nation...

Today is the day if you've been wanting to purchase some great patriotic stamps with a Christian bent for your 4th of July cards! Our Daily Bread Designs has some nice new sets!

Not only is ODBD releasing new stamps, but there's also a sketch challenge for May! Yes, ODBD is having a sketch challenge! If you choose to play, please watch the ODBD blog for details. The info you need will be posted on Saturday, May 2nd.

This card is my first for the sketch challenge. I'm using one of the sentiments from the In God We Trust May release.

Unlike most patriotic cards, this one has very muted reds, whites and blues. I actually did not intend that. It just happened. I actually started with very vibrant versions of those colors. And I just wasn't happy with anything I was doing. So I dug into some new designer papers Kelley is now carrying in her store. and found some great choices. Who says you must use only bright colors on a patriotic card?

The ones I used are not specifically patriotic, but still work. They're from Memory Box. The biggest and smallest pieces are from the same paper taken from the Poppyfinch collection. The bigger one was just sponged a lot with ink and looks more muted. The reddish piece is from the Rhubarb Tart collection. The oval piece is from the Basic Grey Granola collection. Kelley doesn't carry that one, but she does carry several Basic Grey papers and is expecting more in!

I used the Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles embossing folder on the biggest piece and then sponged Tim Holtz's Vintage Photo and Black Soot Distressed Inks very lightly over the raised part. Then I sponged some SU Bashful Blue ink over that. I just recently bought some Tsukineko Sponge Daubers after avoiding them for years because of the cost. I LOVE them! They are so much nicer to use than the big pieces of cut-up sponges I've been using all these years! I should've given in sooner!

I sponged a bit of the brown and black inks around the reddish piece (although, it's not terribly visible) and then used SU's spiral punch on one side.

The smallest piece and the piece with the Scripture have paper piercing done with the Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template.

I did the scrolled corners using my Cuttlebug and a Sizzix Sizzlit die from the Architectural Accents set. Boy was it hard getting the pressure right to cut them out! Too much and it feels like you're gonna break the die. Too little and you can't punch it out completely. Oye!

The cross is a sticker from EK Success Jolee's Boutique. I found it at Target. I sponged it with the brown, black and blue inks and added 2 small pearls to the one in the center which came with the sticker. Kelley doesn't sell this particular cross, but she has some similar ones in her store.

Well, thanks for looking and I hope you play in the sketch challenge! At SCS please put in the keywords: ODBDSC03 and ODBD.

Stamp: In God We Trust by Our Daily Bread Designs

CS: Black, Memory Box Rhubarb Tart and Poppyfinch, Basic Grey Granola

Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Distressed Inks Vintage Photo and Black Soot, SU Bashful Blue

Other: Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles embossing folder, Nestabilities Classic Oval Large and Small, Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template, Sizzix Sizzlits Architectural Accents, Pearls, EK Success Jolee's Boutique cross sticker, SU spiral punch, 3D-Dots, Tsukineko sponge daubers

God Bless America! ODBD Sneak peek!

Isn't this eagle the most regal creature?? It's from one of the upcoming May releases at Our Daily Bread Designs. The set is called In God We Trust and it has this handsome eagle and several sentiments. The sentiment I chose to use is from another May release called God Bless America! I am really liking the Versafine Onyx Black ink that Kelley sells in her store. It stamps such crisp, clean images. I'm reaching for it more than I am other blacks I have. But I'm not ruling out the other blacks. They all have their purpose.

For instance, I used Brilliance Graphite Black for the eagle because I wanted to heat emboss the image and then bleach it out and color it. I used Judikins Detail Black ep. Then I bleached out the image and colored it with many different mediums. I used Prismacolors, chalks, and even oil pastels. I just kept adding things to build up the colors. I used Prismacolor pencils to color the eye. Then I went over it with Mustard Green Twinkling H2Os. Then I put some Diamond Glaze over the eye for shine.

One of the last touches to the bird was some Glimmer Mist Pearl. I sprayed a pool on the table and brushed it over the white feathers to give them a sheen. It's like Pearl-Ex in liquid form. So pretty! And a little goes a long way!

The flower is actually an all white Prima from the Daisy Dreams Snow collection. I colored it with markers. If you buy white the options are endless! They're so easy to color!

After coloring it using SU Close to Cocoa and SU Summer Sun markers, I spritzed it ever-so-lightly with Glimmer Mist Pearl to match the eagle's feathers. Before attaching it to the black organdy ribbon I heated the ends of the ribbon with my heat gun to crimp them. Haven't done that in awhile!

The bird is cut out using the Nestabilities Labels One set. I paper pierced around 2 of the corners.

The striped paper is from the Basic Grey Archaic 6 x 6 pad. I thought it went perfectly with the patriotic theme and the eagle. Stripes just seem patriotic to me. I used the Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template in the corners. The eagle piece and the striped paper are all popped up with 3D-Dots (my fave!).

Thanks for looking! Please check out the other designers for Our Daily Bread Designs in my sidebar to see what others are creating!

Stamps: In God We Trust and God Bless America! by Our Daily Bread Designs

CS: Black, Basic Grey Archaic dp, Chocolate Chip

Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Brilliance Graphite Black

Other: Nestabilities Labels One dies, Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template, paper piercing tool, sponge mat, Judikins Detail Black ep, Prima Daisy Dreams Snow flower, SU Close to Cocoa and Summer Sun markers, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Pearl, Prismacolor pencils, chalks, oil pastels, Diamond Glaze, 3D-Dots, Stamp-a-ma-jig, black organdy ribbon, heat gun, bleach, water brush, Mustard Green Twinkling H2Os

Sneak Peek: ODBD God Bless America

**Edited to add: I had the wrong name for the flag stamp set. It's called God Bless America. Sorry for any confusion!

It's sneak peek time for Our Daily Bread Designs' May releases! Kelley has come up with some gorgeous images and sentiment stamps for your 4th of July cards! They have a real 1776 feel about them!

I used stamps from 2 of the sets that will be available on May 1st. The flag is from God Bless America and the sentiment is from In God We Trust. The beautiful thing about these sets is that they are interchangeable, so there are even more options!

For this card I cut the flag image into an oval. I colored it with Stampin' Pastels and Prismacolor pencils. I really like combining these two media for bolder results.

I used my Inkssentials opaque white pen to do a Markie's Mom sort of look (white-dotted edges). And then if that doesn't add enough movement to my already busy scene, I added Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing to the striped paper! Stars, stripes and dots, dots, dots!

For more peeks into what's coming up in May check out the blogs in my sidebar under Our Daily Bread Designs Design Team. Tosh, Angella and Dina are already posting their beauties (Angella has a pic of the In God We Trust set). There is plenty more to come so take a tour soon and see what everyone's up to!

TFL!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs God Bless America and In God We Trust

CS: Black; Moxxie The Red, White and Blue Collection "With a Bang" dp, white

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx

Other: Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities Classic Oval Large and Classic Oval Scallops Large, Stampin' Pastels, alligator clip, tiny pompoms, Prismacolor pencils, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Polka dot ribbon, red gingham ribbon, Inkssentials opaque white pen

Welcome Little Baby! ODBD

I had intended this card to be for a recent Mojo Monday challenge and an SCS color challenge. But I ended up combining 2 MMs, sorta, and goofing on one of the colors (mentioned below). So, hmm. Such is life for me lately. Does it count? I don't know. My perfectionism says no, but my laid-back side says yes. Who should I listen to?

No babies being born in our family right now, but I wanted to make a baby card anyway. This card is made with stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs' Children of God set.

For the Jesus image I stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on white cs and colored with Prismacolor pencils.

I used 2 Nestabilities Classic Oval dies to set it off, kind of like a cameo. I tied a black gingham ribbon on the side and embellished it with a large clear gem. I had a really hard time trying to decide how to decorate this card. I tried so many things, colored gems, pearls, punched cs. But the clear gems struck me as being just right.

The designer paper is Basic Grey Stella Ruby (Tea with Jane). It's so lovely! I bought a single sheet of it, but looking at the whole collection, I think I need to buy it! Wow! Gorgeous with a capital G!

I stamped the outside word phrase using Brilliance Graphite Black ink and then cuttlebugged the paper using the Script embossing folder. I mounted it on black cs which was punched using the 'Diamond' border punch by Fiskars.

For the Rose Red area I stamped the SU Print Pattern background stamp in Rose Red ink. Then I cuttlebugged it using the Textile embossing folder.

On the green area I stamped the SU Canvas background stamp in Old Olive ink on what I thought was Always Artichoke cs, because that's the cs folder I found it in. But when I went to get some for the inside I suddenly realized that I had put the wrong cs in my AA folder at some point when tidying up! In fact, I think it's a CTMH cs because it looks white along the edges (their paper has a white core). So I can't say technically, that this is Always Artichoke, but it's AA-like.

For the inside I used more of the Stella Ruby paper. I added a few clear gems and the black stitching to keep the theme going from the outside, in.

Well, thanks for looking! Have a lovely day!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Children of God, SU Print Pattern, SU Canvas

CS: Black, white, CTMH Olive, SU Rose Red, Basic Grey Stella Ruby (Tea with Jane)

Inks: Brilliance Graphite Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Rose Red, Old Olive

Other: Cuttlebug Textile and Script embossing folders, Fiskars Diamond border punch, Nestabilities Classic Ovals, ticket corner punch, clear gems, black gingham ribbon, 3D-Dots, sewing machine, Prismacolor pencils

Happy Anniversary - ODBD

Here is a card using the Love and Love One Another sets by Our Daily Bread Designs.

I had a certain card in mind when I was designing this one. I made that card many years ago, and thought the design would work well for what I wanted to do with the twined hearts image from the Love One Another set. In the past, I loved making cards with images dancing around on a white background as the central theme of the card. Recently I started doing it again, the most recent being this froggie card. Now that I have my Cuttlebug I can take this design idea up a notch.

For the card base I chose Almost Amethyst and used the Scor-Pal to score 1/2" lines diagonally, going from one corner to the other with the card base open. Then I reversed it. I did direct-to-paper with Almost Amethyst ink which makes the scoring stand out.

Doesn't the Martha Stewart Doily Lace punch work perfectly with the theme of this card? It has 'anniversary' written all over it!

Doesn't the Swiss Dots folder say 'anniversary' also? I had to use it.

For the twined hearts scene I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored in with Prismacolor pencils. The Tuxedo Black is great as it is quick-drying, but it looks a bit faded after it's dry. That's why I often use the Brilliance Graphite Black for its 'brilliant' and lasting color. I used the BGB on the word stamps inside and out, btw. Every ink has its positives and negatives.

I'm so sorry that I have this obsession with black polka dot ribbon. It is THE most versatile ribbon I've ever used. But I really do try to use other things. Really, I do! I have a big collection of ribbons and fibers, but I seem to gravitate toward the black polka dot ribbon the most.

I carried the doily lace theme inside, only using black cardstock instead. It's a bit hard to see, but I used 3D-Dots to pop out the lace inside.

Here's a closer view of the stamp I used inside. It's from the Love set, a companion to Love One Another.

TFL!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Love One Another and the Love companion set

CS: Almost Amethyst, white, black

Inks: Almost Amethyst, Memento Tuxedo Black, Brilliance Graphite Black

Other: Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles and Swiss Dots embossing folders, Scor-Pal, Martha Stewart Doily Lace punch, corner punch, silver mini-brads, Prismacolor pencils, black polka dot ribbon, 3D-Dots

Faith, Hope and Love

Got to play today! I have been wanting to try dyeing Primas (actually, Bazzill paper flowers and Hero Arts Art Flowers white and cream) ever since I saw Faith Hofrichter's Prima Painting tutorial. It's so much more economical to buy cream/white ones and dye them yourself than buying pre-colored ones, some of which you may never use. The possibilities are endless!

This card is approx. 5.5" x 5.5". The base is Pretty in Pink.

I started with the designer papers as my guide. I used two papers from the Basic Grey Sugared Collection. I wanted to go soft this time. And NO BLACK on this card! Can you believe it? So rare for me! I used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder on top and the CB Floral Screen on the bottom. I stitched with white thread around the edges.

I used SCS Sketch Challenge 222 (SC222) for this one. Simple design. It allowed for a big word stamp, which is what I needed. I chose the I Corinthians 13:13 Scripture from Our Daily Bread Designs' Love set as my centerpiece and stamped it in True Thyme (a past SU "In Color" ink) on cream cardstock, then cuttlebugged it using the largest oval from the Nestabilities Classic Oval Small set.

Below it is True Thyme cardstock that has designs taken from the Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template. I used a thread cutter to distress the edges, much like Tim Holtz's Paper Distresser. I mounted it on cream cardstock that was cut and embossed from the largest rectangle in the Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Rectangle Small set.

The ribbon is twill tape (SU). I used the Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch on vellum to accent under the main piece. I used 3D-Dots to glue it down under the ribbon so it would stick out a bit.

For the flowers I used re-inkers and a water brush to dye them. I found that the ink-to-water ratio affects the outcome. So if you want a really light color, use lots of water and little ink. Reverse it if you want to go darker. The bigger flower (by Bazzill) is inked with Pretty in Pink. The smallest one (Hero Arts) is with True Thyme. The middle one (Hero Arts) is not dyed. For the center I used a Making Memories jumbo antique pewter brad. I glued a large pink gem in the center. Kind of makes me think of passion flowers.

I remember when I was 10 or 11 and my family had recently been transferred to Alabama from California. My parents were clearing some woods on the side of our yard and I saw one in the woods! What an exotic flower it was! I was totally taken with it. There it was, growing in my backyard not far from the copperheads and the water moccasins, lol (we lived on a lake). Of course, I had no idea what it was, and there was no easy Internet access to google it, so it was many years later that I found out what it was.

I used 2 very thick Sticky Doos stacked on top of each other to put the flower into place and have it stand tall on the card. I added 3 pink gems to the bottom for balance.




Thanks for looking and have a wonderful evening!

Stamp: Our Daily Bread Designs Love

CS: Pretty in Pink, DP from Basic Grey Sugared Collection, cream, True Thyme

Inks: True Thyme (pad and re-inker), Pretty in Pink (re-inker)

Other: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots and Floral Screen embossing folders, Nestabilities Classic Oval Small and Classic Scalloped Rectangle Small and Classic Rectangle Small, Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template, Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch, Bazzill cream paper flowers, Hero Arts Art Flowers white and cream, pink gems, Making Memories jumbo antique pewter brad, 3D-Dots, Sticky Doos, piercing tool, sponge mat, sewing machine, twill tape (ribbon), water brush

Love One Another Deeply

How can it be that someone with so much stuff to play with can feel so mojo-less? It's a mystery.

I am happy with this card, but oh, the work it was to create! Lots of goof-ups that had to be tossed. Such is the mojo-less experience. I've noticed a similar theme on other stamping blogs I visit. We ain't gettin' that mojo. Let's call it Stamper's Slump. I've had Stamper's Slump for awhile now, and no sweet goodies are pulling me out of it.

Maybe it's just visual overload. You know how it is when you've overeaten? It's kind of like that for me thanks to all the design challenges and color challenges and bling fests everywhere you look. Too much. I need to go on a visual diet or something. Then those goodies I have sitting around will become more appealing again. It's so easy to get tired of the stuff I already have when there is always something new to try, but the budget quickly gets out of kilter when I do that. It doesn't take long for a stamper to rack up a pricey pile, does it? Not a cheap hobby, noooooo.

Anywho, this card is one I'm finally pleased with even though I was afraid it would all be for naught. I originally had the Basic Grey Granola dp piece going horizontally along the top with the oval piece over it. But that did nothing for me. So I started flipping things around. Do you do that? I liked the feel of it lying vertically, so there it stayed, which got me to moving everything else around.

The corners of the Granola dp are pierced using the Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template. You know me and piercing. I had a blast poking all those holes! This is paper piercing for grown-ups!

For the Rose Romance card base I used the Scor-Pal to run 1/2" lines down the whole length of the card from back to front after scoring it in half to fold. Then I did direct-to-paper with Rose Romance ink (I think that's a retired color now? Yes, Regal Rose is its replacement, I see.)

I used the Swiss Dots embossing folder to emboss the white oval. But first, I stamped a scripture from Love One Another in Versafine Onyx Black ink. I really like that ink! Gives a very clean lined image. It's easy to clean off the stamps, as well. Then I cuttlebugged the image with a Nestabilities Classic Oval Small die. I tried embossing around the edge to add a beveled look, but you can't do that and use an embossing folder, as well. One will flatten out the other.

I used an Inkssentials Opaque White pen to dot around the Old Olive scallop.

For the hearts I stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Archiver's white watercolor cs. Then I colored it with SU markers (see colors in recipe). I made an extra image and cut out the flowers and colored them to match. Then I put them on with 3D-Dots, but doubled up on one to make it stand higher than the other. I finished it off with Fruit Punch and Lime Green Stickles. I popped it out on the card with variously thick pop dot thingies.

And look! No polka dot ribbon! Yes, I was tempted, but I yielded not! No, I pulled out ye olde organdy ribbon, something I used to reach for often. It's a wide olive green.

And of course, a card by me wouldn't be complete without the ticket corner punch being used somewhere on it, right? But I'll let you in on a little secret. I didn't actually use the ticket corner punch. No, the card was otherwise finished and that punch wouldn't fit on the corners, so I used the 1/2" circle punch and it was easy as a wink.

See the 4 quadrants on the metal part that punches through?

There are line guides to make a 1/4 circle cut and a 1/2 circle cut. I don't know if that's intentional, but it works!

Here's an example of what I did. A lot less of this punch covered the cardstock than the ticket corner punch would, which was why I ended up using it on my finished card. I did have to remove a pearl, though. But that was easy.



So if you're in a pinch or just want the ticket corner punch, but only have the 1/2" circle punch, you can do your own and save some money. Wish I had known this sooner!

Thanks for looking! Have a lovely Monday!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs Love One Another

CS: Rose Romance, Black, Basic Grey Granola designer paper, Archiver's white watercolor, Old Olive, White

Inks: Rose Romance, Versafine Onyx Black

Markers: Rose Romance, Cameo Coral, Pixie Pink (blended for the ribbon on the hearts), Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Basic Black (for darkening edges of hearts image)

Other: Scor-Pal, Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, Nestabilities Classic Oval Small, Classic Oval Scallops Large and Small, piercing tool, sponge mat, 3D-Dots, other dimensional pieces, various pearls, olive organdy ribbon, Stickles Fruit Punch and Lime Green, Inkssentials opaque white pen, 1/2" circle punch

Great Love - ODBD

I just love the look of the word stamps in the new ODBD sets. The way the fonts change in the phrases is very pleasing to the eye, don't you think? I used the set Children of God for this card.

I chose paper from Basic Grey Cupcake Collection to complement the fancier fonts in this particular word stamp. The paper's black curly-q's made me immediately think these would perfectlyl together.

I needed something big to balance out the Jesus image on the right and chose the biggest flower from Stampin' Up's Doodle This set because of its open, fine-lined design. I stamped it twice in Brilliance Graphite Black ink on a different paper from the Basic Grey Cupcake Collection and let it dry. Then I cut the flowers out and pressed them in VersaMark ink and heat embossed them using Ultra Thick embossing powder. Then I stuck them together with 3D-Dots and added the gold gem on top using Mono Multi glue.

I wanted to add more visual interest by using some Nestabilities shapes behind the flower. For the blue scallop I did direct-to-paper with Bordering Blue ink on Brocade Blue cardstock. Then I cut it out using a Nestabilities Scalloped Oval. By doing direct-to-paper I was seeking to match the blue in the Basic Grey paper. For the yellow oval I did direct-to-paper with Barely Banana ink on Barely Banana cardstock, let it dry, and then ran it through the Cuttlebug with an oval die. Then I ran the oval through using the Distressed Stripes embossing folder. I used 3D-Dots to pop this all out behind the flower. Btw, I also did direct-to-paper on the card base - Barely Banana on Barely Banana.

For the Jesus image I stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black and heat set it so I could use markers to color it in. I used various Stampin' Up! markers to color it. I cut it out and pressed it into the VersaMark pad and heat-embossed it twice with Ultra Thick EP so it would have a smooth finish. The sparkles are actually not intentional. Just a hazard from using glitter too near EP. :-P Sometimes it gets mixed in and it's very hard to see until it melts. I'm too frugal to toss it and buy new!

The inside of the card is nothing special. I just used the same Brocade Blue cardstock that was inked with Bordering Blue and ran the pieces through the Cuttlebug with the Distressed Stripes EF. Stitched around with black thread and added some black rick-rack to bring the outside elements in.

Thanks for looking!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Children of God, Stampin' Up! Doodle This

CS: Barely Banana, Black, Brocade Blue, designer papers from the Basic Grey Cupcake Collection, White

Inks: Brilliance Graphite Black, Barely Banana, Bordering Blue, VersaMark

Other: Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes embossing folder, Nestabilities Scalloped Ovals & Classic Oval, various Stampin' Up! markers, Ultra Thick EP, heat gun, gold gem, sewing machine, 3D-Dots, black rick-rack, Mono Multi glue