For Our Children

I have been having a lot of fun with my new stamps from Layers of Color - it is like being let loose in a Candy Store...I love trying the different sets together.

This card is for the 2RedBananas Challenge where sentiments were to be the main focus. I had this sentiment left after scrapbooking a page I hope to upload later today and could not resist using it. Dear friends of our family have it on their fridge and it says so much to me as a parent!

I have used the Paisley Embossing Folder and sponged around the edges. The sentiment , which is computer generated (don't you just love this font - Telegraph, from memory!) and layered on True Thyme CS. I then cut around images from Old World Flourish, Beloved Wings and Royal Birds from Layers of Color, sponging them and adding touches of colour with chalks. The top image and the bird have been popped up on dimensionals. For the final touch I lightly added clear Kindy Glitz to give the bird some shimmer. I am amazed how much I use Kindy Glitz, as I have never really been a 'bling' person...but oh how things can change as we evolve!!

I am happy with the way this card turned out, is was reasonably quick to make. Thank you for stopping by and thank you for your comments - you know I love to know when you have been - it makes my day! Don't forget to enter my BLOG CANDY, you will find a link to it on the top of my sidebar - you have to be IN IT to WIN IT!!

Irresistible!

Irresistible - there is no other word for this darling little hedgie from Penny Black. As soon as this image arrived in the mail from my friend Sharon (aka *Doris*) it won me and I have saved it for my Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge card. At first I was tempted to do the card totally in pink but I am happy I decided to go with these colours, they are still soft and feminine but just a 'touch' earthy!

This weeks Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge is the big draw....YAHOO!! We are all eagerly waiting to find out how has won it - if you don't know what I am taking about, then you had better check it out - it could be YOU!!! In week 5 I won the bonus gift, which was exciting enough in itself...I am hoping it comes this week - I don't know who is happier when I get mail, the postman or me....whenever something comes, even if I am down the street he calls out and tells me - now that is service!! LOL

The hedgie on this was chalked and then popped up on 3D dots. Alll edges are sponged and some paper pierced....the CB corners have been added on the 'corners' (!?) of the oval....I was looking for something different to use and was happy with the look of these. The final touch is the layered flowers in the top corner, I added the fabulous button that was given to me by a friend from Church, infact she gave me dozens of old buttons and they are ALL ideal for cards....I juts LOVE buttons on cards in so many way! I then added the two little pearls to complete the sketch!

So there you have it my MMSC and it is midnight here - often the way for me....but my aim is always to have it done by the end of the weeked - phew in with minutes to spare!!!

Thank you for stopping my - I love to read that you have been - thank you to all of those who leave such encouraging comments....you bless me!! God bless you!

Vieled View

It is Friday night and for me that means 'card time' as at least one of our kids has Youth and it is Movie night here....so I set up at the dining table and get some serious card making done.....I hear the movie, rather than see it and I am not complaining!

I have enjoyed making this card...it is for 3 challenges, I am really enjoying making the combined challenge cards, psychologicially I feel like I am getting through more...but I know that's not true - just makes it more fun for me to do!!

I have made this card for the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge, which is once again offering some serious CANDY....check it out here...I am loving this challenge and as we are only able to enter one card per week I have thought seriously about what I am going to do - vintage won.....it also work well for the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge where we are to frame our images, I have framed this one from behind with the brown layer behind the image - it didn't fit on top due to the distressing. The third Challenge is a new one for me, that I have come across and it is the Creative Inspirations Challenge....we are to use the colours brown and blue...so I am 'right there' with this card!!!

I have used the tule that I was sent in a RAK from my Twisted Sister Judy Kell - I knew when I got it I would love using it and I did...I have run ut across the embossed and chalked image securing it through a pearl buckle. This image was also a RAK from Cindy (aka stampergrl) Cindy sent this to me with a bundle of cards for the Australian Bush Fire Survivors....and I loved it....it works so well with this layout and embossing really added to it. The flower is a 'Lollypop Flower' which I found a tutorial on 'The Next Level' which opened this week - no this card is not for their challenge, but I am working on that. I distressed the edges and then used distressing ink to make it more vintage....I am very happy with the finished flower and will definitely be making more of these.....you can fund the tutorial here! I thought you might like to see a close up of it!

This post has taken me FOREVER as apparently we have used our peak time amount of GB's and are now at dial up speed until 8 June - gee I wonder who could have used the majority of it - the frustrating thing is we have another 12GBs at full speed but they are from 1am to 7am....how practical is that.....so I might have to get up earlier in the mornings if I have anything I want to be quick with....what did we do before the Internet!?!?

Thanks for stopping by and for your encouragement - you have made my day! God bless you!

Treasured Friends

Who doesn't love butterflies - there is nothing so beautiful as sitting in the garden and seeing the beautiful butterflies come and land on your flowers - the ones that we have visit are Monarch Butterflies....we have planted flowers that encourage them to come....and amazingly enough...they work!!!

I have to say that I am an animal lover and I love it that the Bible tells us that God made animals for our pleasure - it 'blows me away' that God took the time to think of us in that way - and they do bring me a lot of pleasure - our whole family infact! We have 2 dogs, Maltese ShishTzu's, 6 brown chickens, 2 Chinese Silkie Bantums, about 12 budgies and 2 cockatiels which are in an avairy...plus my tame cockatiel Paris, my new baby budgie - Junior (he is adorable) and one goldfish, Nemo!!!

All of these animals bring us such joy, they have also been invaluable teaching our children about life and death...we have lost puppies, birds and fish.....the first ones are devastating, each one that dies gets a little bit less painful but still so terribly sad, we all cry - mind you we haven't lost a dog YET....that maybe a whole 'nother show, as Ricky Lake would say!!! Our kids have asked the obvious question - 'Will there be dogs in Heaven?' What a range of responses that brings - we just assure them that God made animals for our pleasure and the Word tells us that the Lion will lay down with the Lamb' and that God has it all sorted out....I am sure many of you have had the same discussion at your home!!!

Oops, I am a little off-track here....how did that happen - LOL!! This card is Quadriple Challenge card...YAY!!! It qualifies for the Mojo Monday sketch Challenge, Crafty Creations Challenge #17, Flutter by Wednesday #59 and the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge.....to find out the recipe you can click here!

Thank you for visiting - I always appreciate you stopping by! It is Friday afternoon for me and
we are about to begin the weekend....I hope you have a great weekend, enjoy your family...and take time to see the 'butterflies'! God bless you!

Essence of Elegance

What a relaxed morning I have had - I got together with my friend and neighbour Natalie to do some craft - Nat is the lady who first got me into stamping and we hardly ever get together, so that made this morning even more special. I had everything sorted out and ready by 9:30am when Nat was due over...and then I had a thought.....and the best made plans went 'downhill' from there!!

Can you believe that this card started off as a cute Beaver!!! Well it did, but then I had a thought...one thing lead to another and this is the end result!
This card is for the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge, which is in it's third week....and I am just loving the Challenges....if you haven't already been there, you have to check it out.

It is also for the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge where we are to use sponging on our cards in someway - you can click on the name and it will take you straight there!

I embossed this fabulous image, which was in a BRAK from the lovely Helen (aka misshelenstamps) and knew straight away what papers - this gorgeous flocked paper comes from DCWV and it would have to be one of my favourites - when you have great paper it makes card making so easy - don't you think!! I used my Scalloped Border Punch to do the corners and lightly chalked the image, to just add atouch of colour, sponged the edges, added paper piercing and attached it to black CS.
This was layered onto embossed card - Textured Textiles Embossing Folder (another favourite - thanks Dawn (aka flowergal36) - still loving it!!), which was sponged and layered on black CS. This was then mounted on the DP.
For a final touch I added pearls and the velvet ribbon threaded through a pearl buckle. This was a quick card to make, the DP and the image seemed to do all of the work - a morning well spent for me...especially when I was stamping with my friend, and neighbour, Natalie...who was the lady who first got me onto stamping...we had the loveliest morning - my DH couldn't believe how quiet we were -any noise came from our DH's who sat and had coffee while we worked on our projects!

Well that is it for me - until after the mad dinner rush - I loved you dropping by and look forward to reading your comments...God bless you!

So Beary Grateful!!

Awww - this lilttle bear is just so cute - I used to collect bears....but then the children came along and we ran out of room after a while - it came down to a choice....and it wasn't the bears - although I did keep a couple of my favourite ones....it all comes down to shape...and this one of the right shape!! This gorgeous little bear came in a RAK from Jocelyn (aka JoBear2) I could not resist colouring it as this weeks 'Our Creative Corner' has a Colour Challenge happening, I have wanted to do it all week BUT am just scraping in...phew...the time difference is a good thing sometimes - it gives me that little bit longer on this side of the challenge!!!

I used an embossed paisley panel across the card and added green double stitched ribbon then ran a row of flowers across it...aren't they so cute, I have had them for a while but wasn't sure what to do with them....now I know!!! The image and the sentiment have both been sponged and raised up on 3D foam dots, to add extra dimension to the card and then pink brads, finishing it off with some Kindy Glitz in the centre of the flowers.

This was a relatively easy card and it was nice just to 'chill out' and colour tonight without having to think TOO MUCH!!!! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think...I do appreciate you stopping and looking - thank you for your comments that have been so encouraging...I sincerely thank you! God bless you!