Happy Birthday~Color Challenge

 

i like the clean, cheerful vibes from the MFT Color Challenge palette and pulled out this cute MFT cupcake die to create a card.  I toyed with adding something to the top of the cupcake and finally subtracted the gem I'd thought to add.

Linking to:

MFT Color Challenge

SSS Wednesday Challenge

Bunny Friends

 What darling images from Gerda Steiner Designs!  I had fun watercoloring them with Arteza Real Brush Markers and a small water brush. The Papertrey Ink Cover plate is called Blooming Hearts.  

Linking to:

Gerda Steiner:  Share Your Designs 

SSS Wednesday Challenge 

Enjoy your Special Day

 

MFT has some adorable new bird and birdhouse dies along with the cutest accessories, and seeing them reminded me of how much I love this older set which is on a larger scale.  (A girl needs the new, smaller ones, too, right?)  I love the sketch, and with some sweet prints, the card came together quickly, completed with a sentiment from MFT Birthday Greetings.

Thanks for taking a look....hoping Spring will arrive shortly,

Christine

Linking to:

MFT Sketch Challenge

SSS Wednesday Challenge (a/g)

PIP Challenge

Faith Moves Mountains

 This is a little thank you post.  The Scalloped Mini Slimline die was a gift from a recent win during a Kat Scrappiness blog hop.  I ordered two sets of mini slimline dies and am having fun trying out new sizes of cards.

The beautifully illustrated Bloomfully Faith set was a gift from Stamplorations.  It's watercolored with dye inks and a water brush.  Shery Russ's illustrating talent made a spot for a beginning watercolorist to have some fun!

Many thanks to both Kat and Shery for these wonderful additions to my crafting stash!

Linking to:

Stamplorations NEAG Challenge

SSS Wednesday Challenge Slimline Cards

PIP Challenge

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

 It is an incredible blessing to volunteer at a local pregnancy help center.  We believe that all life comes from God and share that truth by helping young families in a variety of ways.  I love to send cards to the students in my parenting class, and these stamps from Sweet-N-Sassy say just what I want to share!

Now.....I know that doilies are crocheted and knitting is an altogether different craft, but isn't that stencil so delicate and lovely?

Thanks for stopping by,

Christine

Linking to:

SSS Wednesday Challenge Slimline Cards

PIP Challenge

Birthday Dahlias

 Shauna shared another marvelous video and a fun challenge:  to create a birthday card with a 'wow' factor.   I used some of my favorite PTI products, incorporating bold colors, lots of layers, and a little dimension with foam tape.  It's not my usual pastel card, and all it got was a "nice" from DH.  We had a good laugh when I explained the challenge.

Thanks for taking a look,

Christine

Linking to Papertrey Ink (Shauna's Video Series)

Feel Better

 Svitlana shared a beautiful card on the PTI blog and challenges crafters to create floral cards with a high contrast background.  The black panel was cut with a stitched slim-line die and splattered with white acrylic paint.  The PTI dies are Into the Blooms sets, Roses and Peonies.  The sentiment is on a Tiny Tag adorned with a bit of pink gingham ribbon and some white cotton thread.  The flowers and leaves have a generous application of Wink of Stella that is so sparkly in real life.

Thanks so much for visiting,

Christine

Linking to:

Papertrey Ink Great Cover Up

SSS Wednesday Challenge (Slim Line)

Love Goes On

 Love goes on.....Papertrey Ink posted one last Valentine challenge on Monday.  Though all my cards had been mailed or hand delivered, it was fun to use these dies again.  I loved  Melody's Distress Crayon background!  Not having Distress Crayons, I've rediscovered my chalks, blending and then embossing the background. Lots of white splatter was added to soften it before adhering the whimsical "I Heart You" dies.

Linking to Papertrey Ink 

Hosea 2:19 for Word Art Wednesday

 This week's scripture is a beautiful picture of God's love.  The book of Hosea explains God's love toward us, even in the face of our unfaithfulness toward Him.  This truth of God's love is told by through the eyes of Hosea who marries and redeems his unfaithful wife.  

The story has been novelized by Francine Rivers in the wonderful book Redeeming Love and has been recently made into a movie.  I haven't seen the movie but highly recommend the book.

Since the scripture is Hosea's declaration of love toward his wife, I wanted to create a wedding feel.  The blue layer is embossed with a folder in the double wedding ring quilt pattern.  The flowers and foliage are from Papertrey's Into the Blooms: Dahlia set, and I thought the vellum leaves added a romantic touch.

Thanks for visiting, and please stop by WAW to play along,

Christine

Birthday Bouquet Refresh

 After over three decades in an elementary classroom, I believe in "do-overs". Good can always be improved upon with practice and effort, and that's what the 'Great Cover Up' Challenge on the PTI blog is all about.  Crafters are challenged to take an 'okay' card and revise it.  The top card is okay, but there are elements I was not pleased with.  While I love the Aqua Mist card stock, it detracted from the Birthday Bouquet by showing through the central oval of the cover plate.  The stems and leaves are lovely in Mint Julep, but the soft shade disappeared.  The second card leaves the central oval in place and has slightly darker leaves.  The soft aqua mist flowers have a little more impact when arranged in clusters and mounted on dimensional tape.  The die cut bow fills the lower space better than the sheer one with less contrast.

I had fun doing this over; it's still not the most stunning card I've made, but I learned a little about design by trying again.

Linking to Papertrey Ink The Great Cover Up

Thank you Bouquet: Roses and Dahlias

 Playing along with the Papertrey Ink Challenge which is to create a card with a black panel as the background.  I love these floral dies and the increased drama created by layering them over the black panel.  Such a simple change creates fabulous contrast!

Thanks for visiting,

Christine

Linking to:

Papertrey Ink Great Cover Up

PIP Challenge

I Heart You---In Felt

 I just received an order of felt in a wool blend, and it cuts like a dream.  I layered on some PTI favorites  Large Scalloped Stacker, Charming Tags I, and  I Heart You.  Looking forward to more adventures in felt.

Thanks for visiting, 

Christine

Linking to:

Papertrey Ink  The Great Cover Up

PIP Challenge

Hearts and Gingham

 Here are the last Valentines!  The photos tattle that I am crafting at night again.  The stamps and dies are from Papertrey Ink and layer for limitless combinations and all kinds of occasions.  I enjoyed making them even if it is now time for bed.

Linking to Double D (Hearts) Challenge

Valentine Love Birds

 One last card for the SSS Wednesday Challenge (With Love).  This card includes a Momenta doily die and Brushed Birds from Papertrey Ink.  

I Love You

 Finishing up a few Valentines for a friend to give her children.  I just adore these Spellbinders dies and they work for all occasions!

Linking to SSS Wednesday Challenge (With Love)

Double D Challenge (Hearts)

Pieces of my Heart--With Love

 I am combining challenges with the first being this week's MFT sketch challenge.  My card features MFT's Pieces of my Heart die and some older patterned papers, keeping with the Mod Squad theme of hearts and flowers.  I LOVE this die and have found it to be wonderful for using small scraps....so glad about that as my card-making style seems to have moved more toward ink blending and more use of white space.  

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Christine

Linking to:

MFT Sketch Challenge

Mod Squad Challenge

SSS Wednesday Challenge (with love)

Love You with Yellow Roses

..since not everyone on my Valentine's list loves pink.......


Supplies----Into the Blooms: Roses in Harvest Gold, Summer Sunrise, and Orange Zest; Blooming Hearts die; Heart Splatter stamp by YNS

Linking to:

Mod Squad Challenge

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

Into the Blooms: Roses

 I am joining the challenge on the PTI blog which is to create a card with lots of texture.  Blueberry Sky, Spring Rain, Lilac Grace, and Plum Pudding inks were blended on the background.  The same colors were used to stencil a pattern in the corner and to add some grungy text.  GKD Glitter Gel was applied through a heart stencil, and Into the Blooms Roses were  inked with the same colors used in the background.  The roses were splattered with a little white acrylic paint before being adhered to the card base.  These were all fun ways to add texture or the suggestion of it.

Thanks for visiting,

Christine

Linking to:

PTI Blog  What do I do with this?

Mod Squad Challenge:  Hearts and Flowers

SSS Wednesday Challenge:  Love

We Love Him because He First Loved Us for Word Art Wednesday

 God demonstrated His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  What a wonderful love this is and such a reason to love him back as I John 4:19 says.

This beautifully prepared scripture is available for download and use in your own projects.  There is a wonderful devotion and a great prize up for grabs, too.  Hope you will find time to play along.

My Valentine bag consists of a flat white sack (from Hobby Lobby) adorned with a collage of items.

Tag--Impression Obsession

Paper and ink:  Raspberry Fizz by PTI

Heart doily:  MFT

Heart border:  Pink and Main

Brushed Birds:  PTI

Thanks so much for visiting.  Praying you will be assured of God's great love for you,

Christine

Love Wreath for Four Seasons

 I am honored and thrilled to participate as a guest designer for the Four Seasons February Challenge!  The  gorgeous mood board spoke to my love of wreaths and hearts, and I selected some favorites from my stash for this card:  Papertrey's Mix and Mat Heart Die and Wreath Favor Box stamps and dies.  Colors include:  Pale Peony, Hibiscus Burst, Mint Julep, and New Leaf.

Hope you will join the fun and share a creation inspired by the beautiful mood board!  Thanks so much for visiting,

Christine

Linking to:

PIP Challenge

SSS Wednesday Challenge