A Card for My Friends...and a Fun New Sketch Blog!

Happy Wednesday to you, my friends!

I made this card for each and every one of you because I think "You're Fantastic!" I mean that from my heart! Your continued support and wonderful comments just bless me...time and time again! :o) I know...it's been a little while since I've gotten all mushy on you, hasn't it? lol I didn't want you to think that I've forgotten how to be "cheesy" as my girls would say! Oh, and if you think this card isn't meant for you...yes, it's meant for you too! Alright, enough of that! :o)

So, I've come across a brand new sketch blog! Most of you know how much I like to use sketches, right? This one has a cool name too. It's called A Die For A Sketch...isn't that fun? It's a monthly challenge blog, and the idea is that you use a die to create anything you want following the sketch. They haven't started just yet other than to have a design team call out, but if you go over there and become a follower you will have your name in to win a prize. I have the button in my sidebar. Since I like playing with sketches I used their fun sketch to make this card for you. Here's the sketch: 

 

Now here's my card. I had a wonderful time making it! My sweet husband gave me the whole set of Prismacolor Premier Pencils for my birthday, so I intend to do lots and lots of coloring!

I hope you like it because I really do think you're all FANTASTIC! :o)

Papers: K & Company - Sweet Nectar;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Soft Suede, Real Red;

Stamp: Stampin' Up - Perfect Words;

MM Slice Design Card: Basics 1;

Die: Tim Holtz Alterations - Tattered Pinecone

(Prize from Yvonne)

Spellbinders Nestabilities - Large Scalloped Octagons;

Image: Gift from Joy;

Prismacolor Pencils and OMS;

Pearls and Seam Binding: from my Stash.

Hymn and Scripture Challenge #9 - I Surrender All

Happy Friday to you, my friends!
Guess what? With this Scripture post, I am now back on track and up to date! Thanks to Patter doing a little shift and taking a week off, I had just the time I needed! :o)
Guess what else? I'm not going to say it...no, I'm not! I'm just going to think it this time, and you all know what I'm talking about, right? lol
"I Surrender All"...What does that mean? Think about it for a minute. Are we really willing to surrender ALL to the Lord? Everything? What about our scrapbooking stash? Did your heart just stop? lol Well, you know, all of our blessings and gifts come from the Lord in the first place, don't they? Shouldn't we be more than willing to give everything up for Him?
In Luke 14:33 Jesus says:

"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." 

James 4:7a  says:

 "Submit yourselves, then, to God." 

I considered both of these verses for my page but when I read the Parable in Matthew, I knew this was the passage I would use. I've enlarged it in a picture below so you can read it better. It makes you think, doesn't it? That's what the Parables are for...to make us think! So let's think about it...and then let's be willing to do it! :o)

I created a pocket with my doily, and my hymn page is removable.

Then I covered my page with pearls in reference to the Scripture verses.

Papers: Recollection Cardstock;

Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Circles,

Sizzix - Circle, Scallop Lace;

Tim Holtz On The Edge - Scallop;

MM Slice Design Card: Noel;

Ink: Distress Ink - Dusty Concord;

Flower Center Pearls: Gifts from Friday;

My Stash: Paper Doily, Other Pearls, Pearl Lace Trim, Flowers.

Usually when I post the Hymn video I like to use one that has the lyrics so that you can see them. My older brother is a drummer, so I think you'll understand why this had to be the version I chose! You really get a mixed bag of music styles around here, so you'll never know what my favorite is! lol I hope you enjoy it! :o)

Linking Up To:

Little Birdie Blessings - Scripture Thursday #28 - Here

Word Art Wednesday #27 - Here

Sunshine For Mom Card

Hello, my friends! Just a quick post today! I thought I'd show you the card I made for my Mom for Mother's Day! It will be such a surprise because it actually got mailed off in plenty of time to arrive before next Sunday! That just never happens! lol My Mom has always really liked owls and used to have a lovely collection. When we were kids we used to buy them...and make them...for her on any and every occasion. It's been quite a while since I've presented her with a new one but I couldn't resist this sweet Sizzix Sizzlit! EnJOY the rest of your weekend! :o)

Papers: Recollection Cardstock;

Embossing: Sizzix Texture Plate;

Die: Sizzix Sizzlit - Owl;

Stamps & Ink: Stampin' Up;

Punch: Martha Stewart Corner Punch;

Bling: Unknown.

Linking Up at Outlawz Challenges- Here

Oh...do you notice a few changes around here? With the problems with Shabby blogs the other day, I had to delete my entire blog design. So I threw this one together VERY quickly using Blogger. 

It's not as pretty but I do like all the extra space it allows. It will do the job for now! :o)

Hymn and Scripture Challenge #8 - Christ Arose

Well...my friends...I think I have a problem with repetitivity! Yes, that is a brand new word that I just made up! I do know the correct way to say it but I like this way better! :o) As always when introducing my Hymn page I want to tell you that "I really love this hymn", "these are some of my favorite Scripture verses", and "I had so much fun creating this page"! Sounds familiar, right? Yet it's all so true!
It's just wonderful when we sing this hymn in church. It is always sung with such beautiful harmony and rejoicing! It's just music music to my ears! lol
Now, I'd like to talk about my page a little bit. This page took much more time than usual to create. It's based on Matthew 28. This is when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to the tomb after Jesus had been crucified.  An angel of the Lord appears to them and says:

"Do not be afraid, 

for I know that you are looking for Jesus, 

who was crucified.

 He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. 

Come and see the place where He lay. 

Then go quickly and tell His disciples: 

'He has risen from the dead 

and is going ahead of you into Galilee. 

There you will see Him.' 

Now I have told you." 

Can you imagine the JOY the Mary's must have felt? Overwhelming and incredible JOY!! Much like the JOY I feel when I think of all that Jesus has done for us; coming to earth and dying just to save us! :o)

For my background I used a few Prima masks and used some of my mists. Yes, I am now the happy owner of a few mists! I actually created what I envisioned as the garden scene, with bricks/stones, a garden gate, and trees. Then I covered it all up! lol I went on a bit of a flower making frenzy! Also, I had to add the Scripture verse, so I did that on a wood stamped sign post. Do you think once word got around about Jesus rising from the grave, that they posted a sign for those that came to see? :o)

Papers: K & Company - Roam, Recollections Cardstock;

Slice Design Cards: Think Pink, Basics 2, Je t'adore;

Punches: EK Success - Flowers, Martha Stewart - Branch;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Soft Suede;

Stamp: Stampin' Up - Wood Grain;

Sprays: Glimmer Mist - Frost, Wheat Beer,

Pearl Mist - Hearloom Gold;

Die: Tim Holtz - Hanging Sign;

Jute.

This is a lovely version of the song! Enjoy!

Linking up to:
Little Birdie Blessings - Scripture Thursday #26 HERE
Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #25 HERE
Outlawz Challenge  HERE

Leslie's Macaroni Challenge

My friend Leslie had a fun Macaroni Challenge over on her blog! I don't even know if I followed the rules because I didn't read any of them before I created my card! lol I just had lots of fun and created this card with Leslie in mind.
I had some funny little short tube noodles. I placed them all on their sides and stuck them to a strip of painters tape. I inked them up and stamped them along the bottom of the card. It's hard to see the different shades but it's actually black, green and brown.
The textured macaroni shaped noodles were inked in black. Leslie...those are the road gators you taught us about! Isn't it funny how that's the first thing that came to my mind when I saw them? :o)
The side of the truck displays the company logo. What do you think of that? lol Those are my tiny alphabet noodles that have been alcohol inked. This is the first time I have used my alcohol ink.
Finally, inside the truck are Leslie and Joe. Joe is sporting the bow-tie noodle that has also been colored with alcohol ink. I didn't want to draw their faces on for fear of insulting them...although I do think I came close with Joe's hairdo!
So there you have it, Leslie...my macaroni card! Be careful out on those roads...there's gators out there! :o)

Papers: Recollections Cardstock;

Die: Tim Holtz - Old Jalopy;

Stamp: Simon Says Stamp - Cloud;

Ink: Stampin' Up - Basic Black, Basic Brown, Green;

Adirondack Alcohol Ink: Watermelon;

Assorted Noodles.

More Pages in My "Happy Little" Altered Book

YAY!! I finally got some more pages finished! This is such a FUN project! If you missed hearing what it is I'm up to...just check out the label in the sidebar entitled "Happy Little Moments Class". I do a lot of rambling here, so feel free to skip down to the pictures! Then leave a comment and let me know what you think!

 It was fun to break out the sewing machine for this project, although it did sent me into a fit of the giggles! :o) I'm working on sewing a set of 5-7 pages together. So I practiced with a stack of pages that had been cut out of the book, adjusting the stitch length and tension until I was pretty happy with the way things looked. I'm working with a whole book now, so it's a little bit awkward. I fit everything into place and prepare to sew when I realize the presser foot is off! Well, that's weird! I take the book out of position...reattach the presser foot and start all over again! Okay, here we go...but the presser foot falls off again! What on earth is going on? Now, most people might catch on after just the two times but it took me a little bit longer. I guess it was one of my "slow" days! lol It turns out that as I was pushing the book as close as I could get it to the presser bar, it would hit the lever in the back of the machine that would release the presser foot. Hence my fit of giggles! I'm not sure exactly what I was laughing at but the whole thing just cracked me up! You would probably laugh the hardest if I actually told you how many times that silly foot came off! haha So after that I decided I'd take the book upstairs to my good sewing machine and use that instead. It turns out my good machine doesn't get as close as the machine my husband bought me for paper. So I'll just keep giggling! :o)

Here's the inside front cover:

On this page I spritzed the doily with Perfect Pearls Mist, and I added one of the definitions of "collection". I'll be adding more definitions throughout the book. Here you can see the first of the machine stitching.

Shortly after the class had begun, I was fortunate enough to be one of the winners of a wonderful giveaway. Debbie mailed the fabulous prizes in this little paper bag wrapped with a doily. Of course I had to use it in my book. The other prize winnings will be showing up on later pages. I added some embellishments to the doily and put a tag in the bag. There is a list of my collections on the tag but you can't see that part yet! :o)

This next, and final page, I have to show you today is very much like the lesson. Maggie had this fabulous idea to include a glassine bag wrapped over the pages and filled with confetti bits. I had one bag in my stash, other than the teenie Vintage Findings ones. I decided to punch a couple of little holes in it and strategically place some iridescent stars behind them. Another thing that I really love...but still have a little bit of difficulty with...is leaving all the thread bits hanging! As a quilter, I'm used to snipping all my threads and leaving things neat and tidy. It's an adjustment I'm willing to make for my art! lol

That's it for today! I'd love to hear what you think so far! Please let me know if you have any questions about anything! Thanks so much for looking!...Nancy :o)

52 Week Scrapbook Challenge - Decoupage On a Page

Hello again, my friends! I guess I'm making up for lost time since I have another post already! :o)
I haven't done a page for this Challenge in FOREVER! The only plan I had in mind when I started was to decoupage the star tissue paper on the background. After that I had no idea what I was going to do. Boy, oh boy, did I have fun! After tearing, cutting, inking, layering, and gluing everything, I pulled out the Glimmer Glam, Stickles, pearls and gems to "blingorize" it all...as my friend Titi would say! lol Some of it doesn't show up very well in the photo as I took it late in the day! If you click on it you might see it a bit better! It's so good to be playing again! :o)

Let me know if you have any questions about anything? :o)