Best Teacher Ever and a few tips.....

 Continuing to fulfill a request for teacher appreciation cards.  Here are a few tips that help with card production:

• Precut and score card bases 
• Precut 8.5 x 11 cardstock into quarters for quick panels.  I keep white, black, and kraft panels on hand for card fronts and for stamping and die cutting images and sentiment panels.
• The MISTI is wonderful for mass producing layered stamps.  When I have the stamps in place, I stamp LOTS and LOTS.  I store them in a plastic container with customizable spaces----it's meant to house fishing doo-dads, but it's perfect for stamped images, too.
• I store scraps of white card stock in a quart freezer bag and keep it in the top drawer of my desk.  It's the first place I look when I need to cut a tag or sentiment panel.

Linking to SSS Wednesday Challenge

To Teach is To Love

 Part of my current project to fulfill a request for teacher appreciation cards.....These feature Papertrey Ink Dahlia Dies tinted Harvest Gold and Hibiscus Burst.  The sentiments and apple images are from Verve Teachers Count.  It's fun to create in pairs, completing all the images and coloring before assembling similar cards.

Linking to SSS Wednesday Challenge

Teachers Live Forever in the Hearts they Touch

 It's time to express love to teachers, and these Papertrey dies touch the heart as does the sweet sentiment from Verve. 

Linking to:

SSS Wednesday Challenge

PIP Challenge

Sweet as Pie

 I am working on a request for teacher appreciation cards.  The die cuts for the pie and the related sentiment are from Reverse Confetti. The thank you sentiment is from a treasured Verve set called Teachers Count.

Linking to:

SSS Wednesday Challenge

PIP Challenge

Berry Best Mom

 Since changing the lights in the kitchen, I am struggling to take good photos of my cards.  This one has much prettier colors in person!  It was fun to create this card for my mom using lots of favorites from Papertrey Ink......yes, the strawberries are in shades of pink!

Linking to:

SSS Wednesday Challenge

PIP Challenge

So will I comfort you

MemoryDex cards make such fun projects, and I love how they create a  bright spot in my craft room.  This one features the latest scripture available for download at Word Art Wednesday along with some pretty scrap papers.  I hope you will stop by for lots of reasons:  to download the scripture for use in your own projects, to receive  a blessing from the devotion based upon the scripture, and to play along for a wonderful prize.

Herd you had a Birthday

 When I need a whimsical card, I usually go for my MFT stamp collection.  These cuties came from a bonus set that was free with an order, and I think the little critters are adorable, and the punny sentiments are ever so cute.  The background was stenciled, and the big, bright sun was cut with a retired Verve die.

Linking to:

MFT Sketch Challenge

SSS Wednesday Challenge (Rain or Shine)

Delight yourself in the Lord

The very latest Great Cover-Up challenge on the Papertrey Ink blog is to create a card featuring a pop of color on a soft background.  The background technique is tons of fun and is one I should use more often.  It began with a very wet panel of water color paper which was brushed with Aqua Mist re-inker fluid and sprinkled with plain table salt.  When it dried, I added white acrylic paint splatters, cut it to size and pierced it with the Tin Stitched die. The Dahlia dies seem to always be in reach, and they were ink-blended with Hawaiian Shores and Plum Pudding for a cool surge of color.  The scripture is one of my favorites, and the photopolymer version is a retired Verve stamp.

Linking to:

The Great Cover Up

PIP Challenge

Floral Wreath Card Set

 Playing along with the Papertrey Ink challenge to create a set of cards using PTI products.  My set of four similar floral note cards came together quickly as follows:

1.  The wreath was stamped in New Leaf onto a stitched square panel.

2.  Two of the florals in the Wreath Favor Box Collection were stamped two times in each color combination.   The pink ones were stamped four times.  The color combinations were:  Summer Sunrise/Orange Zest; Lilac Grace/Plum Pudding; Aqua Mist/Hawaiian Shores; and Hibiscus Burst/Raspberry Fizz.

3.  Everything was layered on to a scalloped square atop a 4.25 inch square card base, and the bows were attached with hot glue.

This was a fast process using one of my favorite PTI sets and the MISTI.  I plan to donate these cards and a couple  other sets to the auction benefitting youth camp.

Thanks for visiting,

Christine

Linking to:

Papertrey Ink  (What do I do with this?)

Lush Bloom in Yellow

 There's a gorgeous card up on the Papertrey Ink blog featuring the new tulip dies on a soft gray background.   It's gorgeous and is the lead-in to the challenge of creating with one's favorite yellow flower.  I love the sweet Lush Bloom done up in Lemon Tart, Harvest Gold, and Summer Sunrise.  The big floral is a showstopper.  My card stash is getting low, so I think I will leave the sentiment for later when it's apparent what type of card is needed.

Linking to:

Paper Trey Ink:  The Great Cover-up (Yellow Flowers)

Mod Squad Challenge A/G

Live Unto Him Which Died for Them and Rose Again for WAW

 This week's scripture is such a sweet one!  How blessed we are that Jesus chose to show His love by dying in our places and that He demonstrated His power over the grave.  My simple MemoryDex card began with the scripture printed on white cardstock.  Using a cloud stencil and Spring Rain ink from Papertrey, the sky was blended over the whole card.  The sun die and cross stamp are retired Verve products.  So simple....and I love seeing a scripture on the RoloDex in my craft room.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to visit Word Art Wednesday to download the scripture and to play along for a wonderful prize.

Blessings,

Christine

Birthday Dahlias

 Replenishing my supply of birthday cards.  I love what happens when ink blending is applied to these sweet Dahlia dies from Papertrey Ink.  The PTI coffee mug makes a pretty flower container, too.

Linking to:

SSS Wednesday Challenge (Happy Tenth Birthday, Y'all!)

PIP Challenge

Mod Squad Challenge

Handmade by God

 The opportunity to volunteer at a local Christian Pregnancy Assistance Center is a tremendous blessing.  Periodically I send cards to students in the parenting class, and I am so thankful for this special Sweet N Sassy Stamps set.  It says just what I want to say, and the images are adorable!

Linking to PIP Challenge

Happy Birthday with Into the Blooms II

 Dana's card on the What Do I Do With This? challenge deserves a look.  Her beautiful stenciling is accented by touches of TH Grit Paste, and it is truly lovely!  In all actuality, I won some TH products around Christmas time, and the jar of Snow Fall Grit Paste really did leave me asking, "What am I going to do with this?"  I am happy to report that the Grit Paste was easy to apply and dried very quickly leaving a subtle sparkle to the stenciling.  The background was inked in this order from the top down:  Blueberry Sky, Spring Rain, Lilac Grace, and Plum Pudding.  I used a tiny craft spatula to randomly apply the Grit Paste in scattered areas of the background.  I love the look!  The flower was cut from Into the Blooms II.  I may be the last person to figure this out, but the gorgeous leaf die has subtle connections between the leaves to allow for easy and smooth disassembly into smaller clusters.  I am sure that it was designed that way and I just figured it out!!!

Linking to:

What Do I Do With This?  on the PTI Blog

SSS Wednesday Challenge (Happy Tenth Birthday, SSS!)

PIP Challenge

Flourishing Florals -- Happy Birthday

Think I will try this Raspberry Fizz/Harvest Gold color combination more often.  I am playing along with Melissa's Great Cover-Up challenge on the Papertrey Ink blog.  Melissa's card is, as always, a beauty, and she challenges us to use one of her embellishment choices.  I echoed the colored twine.  The images are from the Flourishing Florals set, and that nifty die below them is one of the Charming Tags.

Linking to:

The Great Cover-Up

SSS Wednesday Challenge (Happy Birthday, SSS!)

Effortless Beauties: Happy Birthday

 Melissa's Fab Friday Feature is one of my favorites, both for joining a challenge and for all the inspiration Melissa provides.  Her challenge is to use a stencil....mine was a win from its designer, Miriam Prantner.  I love the Double Wedding Ring feel and stenciled it in Lilac Grace, Plum Pudding, Aqua Mist, and Hawaiian Shores.   It's covered by a vellum panel and layered with Effortless Beauties in the same shades.  Yes.....I CASED Melissa's layout using Bitty Big in Aqua Mist and Lilac Grace.

Linking to:

Melissa's Fab Friday Feature

SSS Wednesday Challenge (Happy Birthday, SSS!)

The Joy of the Lord

 Just found a wonderful new challenge, Can You Handle the Pressure.  It's hosted by the very talented duo,  Darlene and Diane, and it's all about embossing folders.   I used my favorite embossing folder...it's a Hobby Lobby brand and looks like a Double Wedding Ring Quilt pattern.  The florals are Dahlias by Papertrey Ink, and the sentiment is a well-loved and, sadly retired, Verve stamp.

I am catching the current challenge at the end, but if you hurry, you can play along, too!

Springtime Dahlias

 This card is for some dear friends who have always been blessings, and have especially shown up with help and support during a time of trial.  Before I knew what I was doing, I'd selected the Ukrainian color scheme, so I prayed for the people of Ukraine while creating.  So thankful for every bit of kindness that God sends where it is needed...both at home and far away.

Thanks for visiting,

Christine

Linking to:

PIP Challenge

Come Boldly before the Throne of Grace

 I am continuing to work on cards to share with a charitable Christian organization that assists foster children.  It's been a blessing to me to select scriptures from my stamp collection to include on the cards.  

I like the spring feel of the lilies and they work well with the scripture, I think.

Thanks for visiting,

Christine

Linking to:

PIP Challenge

Four Seasons Challenge  (A/G Spring--mood  board below---the pink florals inspired me)

You, O, Lord, are a Shield about Me

 It's such a joy to craft with favorite items and for the sake of encouraging others.  This card will be sent to a Christian organization that benefits foster children.  I pray it will be just the right blessing to someone who really needs to be lifted by God.

Card supplies:  MFT Lily Dies, PTI Scrolled Frame, and the scripture stamp is a retired, yet dearly loved, Verve design.

Thanks for visiting, 

Christine

Linking to 

PIP Challenge

Layered Bouquet Encouragement Cards

 The background panels of these floral encouragement cards were created using a MFT stencil and a rainbow of Papertrey Ink  colors.  The florals are Pink Fresh Studio's Layered Bouquet.  The insides are stamped with some of my favorite scriptures.

Thanks for stopping by,

Christine

Linking to:

SSS Wednesday Challenge (A/G)

Floral Basket

 I am making encouragement cards, and this one contains one of my favorite scriptures inside:  Zephaniah 3:17.  

It reads: The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you with His love; He will exult over you with Loud singing.

Christine

Linking to:

SSS Wednesday Challenge (a/g)

Double D Challenge (With a Handle)