LOC Granny's Basket

It is Monday morning here and I am showing you the last card I have made for this set of New Release stamps from Layers of Color.  This set is called Granny's Jewelry and I love the images in it.  At first I was not sure how I was going to use it, but as soon as I started I discovered that I love working with this set and it has so much potential!

I have kept this card simple as the image is so pretty embossed with Copper Embossing Powder with Nail Bling added.  I did use another Layers of Color Set Creative Flourishes either side of the image!  Crochet lace was added to the DP  along with some Kaiser half pearls.  The edges of the DP have been distressed.

I thought I would show you what has been keeping me busy for the past few weeks - cards - yes all of these cards...many of them are for the Layers of Color New Releases and there will be two more sets being highlighted on Masterpiece Monday, so why not pop over there and see what the Design Team have created.....I will be showing more of my creations over the next week.

This card fits the Pile it On Challenge for Flowers and Flourishes.

My Time to Craft Challenge for Very Vintage

The other cards are for boutiques that sell my cards - I am only 31 cards away from selling 1000 cards - you will hear my scream of delight when I do actually reach that target!  The other cards are for challenges, because I love doing them and then...there are cards to send to friends....never a dull moment here I can tell you...

...and in my spare time I have been putting together and packaging up the photographic gift cards that my DH is now selling on his blog Imagery of the Soul, which you can see here....it's a tough job but somebody's got to do it! LOL!

Thanks for coming by and for the lovely comments that you leave me - I appreciate each one!  I love seeing that you have been - you know it makes me smile!  I hope you are having a great day - as for me - I have to go and find my house under the MOUNTAIN of cardmaking scraps and things - I am sure that I just saw tumbleweed blowing across the floor - I think I will forget vacumming today and just bring in the 'POWER TOOLS' - the Garden Blower! LOL!  God bless you!!

LOC Wonderful Wings

Who doesn't love butterflies - I would love to see one like this in our garden, we actually encourage them to our garden with plants that attract them and have seen more already this year than we have for a long time!!  This beautiful one is from the New Release sets from Layers of Color called Flutterescent and as you can see they are certainly life like.  These images are drawn by the owner Laura who is passionate about Nature and it shows in her work!

 

I have used the embossing folder 'Victoria' to emboss the gorgeous DP from K&Company that I won in some Blog Candy form the lovely Abby...I love the colours and used it for my inspiration for this butterfly, which has been coloured with chalks and popped up onto an oval scalloped Nestie which has been sponged with distressing ink!

I added  a row of gorgeous lace along the bottom along with the sentiment that comes with this set, sponged around the edges and popped it onto black CS.  The final touch was the yummy flowers, again part of the Blog Candy from Abby (thank you Abby I have treasured each item) and the half pearls added to the centre.

I think this image does most of the work itself - these cards just seem to create themselves and I am along to 'steer the ship'....I love the end result, so feminine and pretty - it is very different for me to end up with something like this as I usually use more vintage and 'earthy' tones...but I am loving these!  I would encourage you to make the time to pop over to Layers of Color and see what creative delights are over there - you will enjoy your visit and be inspired - maybe even leave a comment or two if there is something there that 'grabs' you!

Thank you for visiting today, I have enjoyed being able to have your company today - thank you for your comments, they mean so much to me!  It is a beautiful day here today and I am enjoying just 'chilling out'!  God bless you!

LOC Faith Art Friday #2

Hello everyone, it is Faith Art Friday at Layers of Color, this is only the second week and it has been a big hit already.  There are many of us who love to combine our passion for paper and for God, here is an excellent opportunity to share with others of the faith!

I have made this card using Layers of Color images, Gothic Crosses and a New Release Flutterescent, which is being featured this week.  I have used the Emboss Resist technique and love the dramatic effect it has had here, especially as this card is also for the His Holy Name Challenge where we study the attributes of God...I am catching up on these studies and this is from a few challenges ago - the attribute is Sanctifies

I love to use symbolism on these cards - it just happens that way each time....on this card red is for the Blood of Jesus that washes us clean - sanctifies us, so freely shed for us, the cross is where our debt was paid in full.  I used the music behind the image to remind me that God puts a new song in our hearts - the song of the REDEEMED!!

The cross is embossed in white to symbolise us being washed clean, white as snow!  I chose this particular cross from the set Gothinc Crosses as it is more rugged, that was nothng fancy about the crucifiction, the cross was not make of french polished timber that had been buffed so it was smooth - no it would have been rough and full of splinters - no comfort zone there!  The smaller raised cross  symbolises  the many levels of our salvation and sanctifying - it is an ongoing process - a daily walk!

The beautiful layered butterfly is symbolic of our new life in Him

Thank you for stopping by today, your comments are always so encouraging - you have blessed me so much!  I am looking forward to spending some time this week in 'Blogville' and seeing what YOU have been up to!!  Have a greay day!  God bless you!!

So Much to See!!

Hello, what a productive day I have been having - how about you.  I am glad you have found the time to come across and visit - I have a couple of thngs to show you today, so make sure you scroll down to see it all....

My first card is for five challenges, yes five and I am feeling pretty happy about that!  The first one is for the Twisted Sisters Challenge and Sistahs...I am on time!! Wahoo!!  We have been challenges to use buttons and bows...yep..done that,  The second one is Teapot Tuesday where one of the Twisted Sisters, Maureen, is hosting and we are to be inspired by a teapot she has chosen and a Pat Cash song - well I couldn't choose one song so used the music image instead

Thirdly it fits the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge where we are to make a card expressing Thanks, or a Christmas Card, the colours in this make it very 'Christmassy' as well - good for after Christmas!'.

  It is also for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge, which is a favourite Challenge of mine, I love having the opportinity to combine our passions...the theme for this week is Thanksgiving, as we do not celebrate Thanskgiving in Australia I made a Thank You card...we should all take the time to express our thanks to God and to one another - being rich does not depend on the amount of money we have, it comes down to what we have and whose we are - I am RICH in the full sense of the word!

The final Challenge is the Cuttlebug Challenge - I realised that I use my Cuttlebug EVERYDAY and am going to try and play along each week - I don't know why I haven't - the girls there are so amazing and there is always something to see.  this week is all about glitter - the DP from DCWV is full of shimmer and glitter and that ribbon - well it is 'blingy' as well  - I have used the Victoria embossing folder!

EDIT:  I have just realised, I overlooked ( a great word for FORGOT) to link this to one more challenge, the Little Red Wagon Challenge (I love that name) - for buttons.

That is if for this card I have one more thing to show you.....keep on reading....

EDIT: I am also linking this card to the Die Cuts R Us Challenge where there is no challenge this week, but instead they are celebrating Thanksgiving and it is all about being thankful - all of the girls have shared each day this week  - today's post over there was particularly meaningful to me - thank you Lori!!

*******************************************

This Layout is made with the Layers of Color New Release set Flutterscent.  I could not resist using it on this layout of my DD1....I love these photos of her - they were very easy to scrapbook.  The top photo just captures her beautifully....she is full of life and brings laughter everywhere she goes.

I have kept it simple, the gorgeous DP from Stampin' Up fitted the photos perfectly that I really only wanted to add a couple of touches to personalise it!  I added the chipboard 'b' covering it with the same DP and sponging around the edges with Close to Cocoa.  I had positioned it carefully, drawing around where it was going to be, on a second sheet of the same DP - then when covered and sponged placed it back in the same place so it blended in and gave the inpression of being 3D.

The second photo  is taken in an attempt to have her holding the Australian War Memorial in her hand - it was fun, we didn't quite get there but had fun trying!  I stamped a few of the butterflies in Close to Cocoa and then stamped some on white CS, cut them out and layered them onto the stamped butterfly.

Hence the name 'Butterfly Kisses'  - these images from Layers of Color work so well with Scrapbooking, I love to include stamping on every page - they make it easy!

Be sure to have a look at the new release stamps which you can see at Layers of Color and also be inspired by the cards the Design Team have created using all nine sets - be prepared to 'fall in love' with these sets and the other sets you can see there!!

Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate you taking the time and your encouraging comments - you are so lovely!!  I look forward to seeing you soon!  God bless you!

LOC Granny's Jewelry

It is time for another look at the Layers of Colour  New Release Stamps - this one is Granny's Jewelry...I love this set of stamps  - it is so much fun creating images that are like jewellery....these are particularly lovely to be as my beautiful Nana loved her jewellery - she was known for her stunning brooches.  When she passed away all of the daughters and granddaughters got one of them, they are something we will always treasure.  This particular one is one of my favourites and I loved using it with pearls!

I decided to keep my card simple so that you could see that these stamps suits any style - I tend to do more vintage but they look great with this more CAS style as well - this is very CAS for me!  I embossed the image in copper embossing power and then added clear nail bling and copper pearl, I used  a circle punch and then sponged around the edges, popping it up on dimensionals and layering it onto a scalloped circle which has also been sponged around.  This looks good enough to wear!!

The DP has been embossed and sponged, a thing panel of DP with scalloped border is added across the middle of the card and then some  gorgeous old crochet lace across the centre....so simple!!

Make sure you pop across to Layers of Color to be inspired by all of the cards made by the Designers, there are eight other new sets for you to check out as well - be prepared to be 'wowed' - it is well worth the trip!

This card qualifies for Kelly's Word of the Week Challenge - the word being:

parure: (derived from "parer" to prepare, adorn) a matched set of ornaments (as jewelry). 

 I know this is only one jewel, but there is another one coming in a few days...so how could I resist linking it!

Thank you for stopping in and for those lovely comments you leave me.  It makes my day to see that you have  been.  Have a great day....God bless you!

MM Black Magic Tutorial

Hello everyone, today I am going to show you how to do a fabulous technique....Black Magic, I was surprised when I used this technique on a card, how many people said they had never heard of it....well..today we are going to discover how it is done - move over David Copperfield!! LOL!

You are going to need:

*  A Silhoutte Stamp (Upsy Daisy is perfect for this)
*  A White Ink Pad
*  Watercolor pencils
*  Black or dark card stock
* Heat tool or hair dryer - optional

The first step is to stamp a copy of the image, as you can see I have used SU Whisper White Craft Ink, this is a very wet ink and you will need to dry it, either by a heat tool or leaving it to dry naturally - I cannot stress enough how important this is for a successful finish.  You may want to stamp two or three images at this time, just incase you are not happy with the way it goes when you first start - saves time and keeps the frustration level LOW - and we all need that!  You can click on any of the photos for a more detailed look.

Now you need to choose the colours you are going to use - I have used three colours going from lighter to darker.... we are going to apply the first colour, the lightest.  This does not have to be precision as you are building your layers of colour and can always adapt as you go!!  It does need to be Water Colour Pencils as these are soft, normal colouring pencils are too hard and the effect will not be the same AT ALL!!

It is time for the next layer, a darker share BUT not the darkest....over the lighter shade but NOT all the way to the edges of it.  The end result should be going from lighter on the outside to darker in the middle - just the way it is in when you look at a flower!  You can see how it works in the photo below.  I am showing you the colour of the pencils I am using with each photo, to give you an idea of the progression in the depth of colour each time - I hope this helps with your choices!

Finally the third colour - this one adds a lot more definition - I would advise that less is more - it is easier to add more colour than to try and remove it IF we get carried away and I am speaking from experience with that! LOL!

So there you have your three colours and now we are going to add a little bit of colour on the stems and leaves, just a little bit though.  You can leave these white and that looks fine too, but the added colour just brings that much more warmth - these touches make the difference for me as I create, it takes it that much further.

Okay - it is looking good now and this is where I really add those final touches...a little bit of dark green along the very edges of the stems, just to add a bit of depth and a TINY bit of black in the very center of the daisies, this part is optional, but I assure you that it makes a difference to the finished product!!

As you can see, this is not hard at all, infact the whole process probably took me 20 minutes all up and I have only used this technique about 4 times, it was taught to me by my friend, mentor and SU Demonstrator Ann.  It is so effective and makes a card quite dramatic.  I have made a card for this weeks challenge with this image, you will find it linked to the challenge but I will give you a SNEAK PEEK here:

Thank you for taking the time to look - I would love to see you give it a try.  It was so exciting for me to be looking through the Challenge cards after the Chalking Tutorial and see that some of you had tried the technique - and how beautifully you had done it.  Infact when I came across the first person that had tried in I yelled in delight and my poor DH nearly lept out of the chair with fright...I will warn him this time!.  This technique is just as easy - if not easier...so get out those Water Colour Pencils and  give it a try, we would love to see what you do - please drop iback in and show  me as well!!

Thank you MMSC DT for  this opportunity, it is both a privilege and a pleasure - I have discovered that after doing my first tutorial, I LOVE doing them - something else to get addicted to -does that 'skeer' you.....I am on the look out for more subject matter, please feel free to let me know if you find something that I can get my fingers inky with!!   Happy stamping and see you back here soon!  God bless you!

LOC Flourishing

It is time to show you another card made with the New Release Stamps from Layers of Color, this set is called Flutterescent  - how beautiful is this butterfly...those wings look like they just want lift off the card and fly!!

I used the flourish from the Nature Walk set and stamped them in a circle to create the feeling of movement, I lightly chalked these flourishes and tore along the right edge.  Torn and embossed corners have been added and flowers with pearl centres added in the middle of these!

The butterfly has been coloured with chalks and then cut out...I have only attached the body to the DP so that the wings are free to stand up....Kindy Glitz has been added lightly to the wings- you can see the sparkle here!

This card was very quick and simple to make...don't you just love it when that happens.  I usually take a lot longer with my cards, so this was a pleasant change!!  Be sure to pop over to Layers of Color and see what the other designers have made with this set - they are so talented and their work is so inspiring!!

This card qualifies for the Creative Card Crew Challenge which is about Favoutite Things - and butterflies are among my TOP favouites, our family loves to see them in the garden!

Thank you for looking and for your encouraging comments - you are always so very kind!  I love knowing that you have been.  I will have another card for you soon, this week we are showing off three sets - there is much to see!  God bless you!

MMSC29 The Faces of Christmas

Wahoo - it is Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge time again - I love it!! Come Monday,  I am hanging for the new challenge to be released and to see the cards that are linked to the challenge.  There are so many fabulous cards and projects, they are all wonderful in their own right - such a lot of inspiration comes directly to us - I love it!!

  Here is what you are waiting for.....this week's sketch:

Our Gold Star Award goes to:

# 28 Ms. Plum

The Midnight Madness Remarkables Award goes to:

#16 Lorelie Kim, #44 Kerri Michaud
Congratulations ladies!!  Don't forget to collect your logo and display it on y our  sidebar

Thanks again to Michelle's Scrapbooking & More for being our Monthly sponsor.

Michelle's Scrapbooking & More

Our Weekly Bonus Sponsor for MMSC29 is...

Your Next Stamp

They just had a new release and we are so lucky, because Karen is giveaway Christmas stamps to our lucky MMSC29 Bonus Winner this week. Woo Hoo, just in time for Christmas :) Thank you Karen.

This weeks card was a lot of fun for me as I just love this image.  I saw it on a card on Susan's (aka One4Joy) gallery on SCS and she stamped off a copy for me.  It is called 'The Naughty Girls Choir' and that little girl second from the left reminds me so much of my DD2 when she was that age - she is famous for standing there just like that and when people would look at her and say how pretty she was, she would scream at the 'NO YOU LOOKIE AT ME!' ...and they wouldn't!!  Our friends still remember it to this day!!

I have coloured the image with wet and dry chalks - I sponged around the edges as I wanted this card to have an aged look, and we all know I just L-O-V-E to sponge!! LOL!  It is layered onto some DP with Christmas greetings on, this has also been sponged and backed with black CS.

The top four panels have been done on the computer and each word cut out and sponged, then layered onto sponged cream CS, which is in turn backed with black CS.  The lower four panels have had music stamped on them and then they are layered onto black CS.  This is all mounted into the green DP

and there you have it - one 'Naughty Girls Choir'!!  Can't you just hear them singing ' Joy to the World!!' Especially that adorable one with all that attitude (she lives with me in real life!)

Don't forget the MIDNIGHT MADNESS BLOG HOP will be here before you know it-- December 8th-15th and you have been helping us spread the news for that. We really appreciate your help.  Please continue to do that each week until the launch of the Blog Hop as our prize patrol has been out viewing the Logo in your side bar. Be sure to check out the “General Rules” for all the details.

Please note: the DT will make sure you are informed if you are a winner and when your prize will be coming

Thank you for stopping by and visiting and for those amazing comments you leave, I love seeing that you have been!  I look forward to seeing you over at the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge - if you have never played along before, c'mon over - you will love it - it is so much fun...and did someone mention prizes.....see you there!  God bless you!

LOC Pearls and Fans

It is time to show you some more of the cards made with the Layers of Color New Release Clear Art Stamps, this card is made with the Flowering Gems set.  These flowers are just gorgeous to work with and are so versitile, I decided to make this card with a very vintage feel, but you can see how the other Designers have used it by clicking here

.

These stamps have been created to be used with gems if you wanted to, I have used two different colour pearls here and love the look that they give.  I chose colours that I see in our hydrangers and used that as my inspiration.

I coloured the flowers with chalks using a Blender Pen, you can see my Tutorial on chalking here.  I layered the flowers on a mixture of dimensionals and 3D foam dots to give varying heights.  I added a fan that I was sent in a RAK from my dear friend Pam (aka pam124).  This whole arrangement is layered onto a doily that I saved from a tin of biscults ( it was the only non fattening thing in the whole tin! LOL!) this was then layered onto some embossed CS that has been sponged, then a strip of torn DP with the edges sponged and a strip of lace.  I am partial to layering and texture on my cards...this one is no exception!

 Pearls have been added to the centre of the flowers and steymans scattered through the arrangement...these are only little but sometimes it is the little things that add just the right touch!

This card qualifies for the Die Cuts R Us Challenge - to create a girlie project - this is pretty girlie!!

Creative Inspirations Challenge is all about sparkle and this card has plenty of that!

The Alphabet Challenge Blog is all about Flowers this week - and flowers we have!

Thank you for looking and for your encouraging comments, I love to know that you have called in....I hope you are enjoying seeing the card from the New Release sets of Layers of Color - I will have more to show you during thr week.  Don't forget to have a look at the Layers of Color Blog and be inspired by the gorgeous cards on display there!  God bless you!

Cardinal Chorus

I have to start by saying that this bird is meant to be a Cardinal - now, as we do not have them here in Australia I am not 100 percent sure if it it, I hunted through my RAK's trying to find one and this was the closest one I had!

Have you guessed that this is for Teapot Tuesday and you can see our inspiration here.  It is also for The Twisted Sister Challenge this week where we are to use leather and lace - I have used the animal skin DP and that gorgeous lace

...and have been inspired by the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge where this week the lovely Silke has given us a sketch to use....so I am feeling pretty good with all of this!  It also qualifies for the Colour Challenge over on SCS.

A layered flower was added to the corner of the image and Kaiser pearls added to the centre.

There you have it - very simple....I am so pleased to have it finished, I don't like being late with challenges!  Thank you for looking and for your lovely comments - you are always so encouraging!!!  It is Saturday evening here and cooling down after a HOT day - I hope your day is a good one!  God bless you!

LOC Faith Art Friday

It is an exciting day over at Layers of Color - Faith Art Friday starts today, I love being part of this faith based company where the heart of the company is to glorify God and to see us express this through our gifts and our art!  You can click here to see that beautiful art Laura has shared and how she uses her amazing gift for God.  I am blessed that Laura is also featuring my card  and I loved making it for this purpose and also for the His Holy Name Challenge where we are studying the attributes of God, I am a few challenges behind and catching up - this attribute is 'Bread of Life'

! 

The word clearly tells us that 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' I instantly thought about the birds, they are one of my favourite animals, and how they never worry for anything, God takes care of their needs and how much more valuable are we to Him than they!!  I love that thought, especially is this disposible age, when nothing id made to last and human life does not hold much value to some.  Thank God that we are precious to Him!

Straight away I reached for the 'Backyard Birds' set, stamping the images in Distressing Ink and coloured them with chalks, adding brown Distressed Stickles.  I love the texture and slight bling they add without adding too much shimmer.

Instead of cutting around the birds I chose to tear the CS and sponge the edges for a more rustic/distressed feel. 

I stamped one of the crosses from the fabulous Gothic Crosses lightly onto the scripture that has been computer generated.  I love to mix the fonts as this gives a better look.  The cross has been lightly highlighted with chalks and a strip of lace added to each side of the card..

The flowers have been either sponged or stamped with a music stamp - I have seen this on a number of cards lately and realised I could do it myself, rather than pay a fortune for them.  The brads and buttons come from my 'stash' I deliberately used different ones to keep with the ecletcic theme!

Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments....you are always so lovely and have encouraged me immensely.  When I began blogging I didn't realise that it would open the door to so many friendships with amazing people like yourself!! I am very grateful for you!!  God bless you!