Repeat inspiration

This fall I was determined to keep completely new cards to a minimum, and use up some of my saved bits and backgrounds.  The piece I had for this card was the leaf image stamped on a beige background and inked.  I turned it into the card you see here.   After I photographed the card, and put it into my autumn file, I saw that the leaf image had been a duplicate of one used on another card.  To my amusement, I had used the same layers (coppery-brown on rust on beige) as the previous card with that image, made five years earlier!  But I had stopped there; this time, I had added three brads, and the difference is surprisingly significant.  The brown and rust are mica cardstock, which has just a hint of sparkle and texture.  This card is for the Verve Autumn Lovelies challenge.

Different Horizons

Once again, this is for the Word Art Wednesday challenge.  I was asked by someone to make her a some fall/Thanksgiving themed cards, so have been working hard at for close to a week.  I generally do not have time to make cards; it literally took two full days of trying to make cards to get back into the groove.  I'm really into it now, but am getting behind in my grad school work, so pretty soon  here I need to just quit and believe I have enough variety for my customer to choose from!

I love the perspective the quote on this image brings: so often disagreements are simply issues of perspective.  Of course, in today's world, there are those who wish to say that all issues are perspective, and there is never a time to say "this is right", or "this is wrong."   But we can all stand to remember the importance of considering the other point of view...

Silhouette Wedding

I was asked to make a last minute orange/peach wedding card.  I'm not a fast card maker ... I think it's the decision making part that slows me down the most ... but I managed!  This is for the Word Art Wednesday challenge.

A Month of Sundays ... A Stamped Journal for Sermon Notes

For probably ten years I have wanted to do this project for my pastor's wife, but there never has been the time.  There wasn't time this year either, but they're of an age where retirement could come soon, so I wanted to get this DONE!  I had a lot of ideas that there just was not time for, so many of the stamped pages are sadly simple, and a few of the pages were "card parts" I had never used ... I'm so glad I save those!  My goal was to create a journal that could take care of anything coming up on a Sunday.  For each month there was a prayer request page, and six lined pages for note-taking (one per week, with an extra page or two just in case!), and a calendar.  I used cardstock for the stamped pages.  The back cover had a ribbon to mark her place. I had no time to design a cover, so used one I had already made into a basic journal.

Isaiah 40 tile

I really hesitated to post this tile, from the set of tiles I with the accidental application of glue instead of sealer which reduced the clarity of image and color, and I had also grabbed the wrong green to fill in the space below the trees.  But additionally, as I have said of the other tiles, the style of these  tumbled tiles just does not make for great photos, at least when I am taking them!  But I am posting it despite my error and the camera's lack of sensitivity (!!) because this really is a great group of images for a tile, coming from smARTworks in a set called Hope Soars.  With more detailed images, I recommend Brilliance inks only; they are the only inks, that I have tried so far, that give a relatively crisp image on tile.  Also, it's especially important to look at where your nooks and crannies are before stamping an image that might be ruined by poor placement.

Tile Fun!

I went to Lowe's to get some tumbled tiles, and spotted these scrabble-tile sized glass tiles, on clearance for just over $2!  I grabbed one, thinking I would group them together in sets for coasters, and individually for pendants.  I had so much fun, that the next time I was out of town, I stopped by to pick up more.  However, they were all gone, and I did not want to pay full price!  But I then saw the same size, this time in more counter-top style, on clearance.  This time, I grabbed two sets!  I think I am addicted to these!  One of my favorite stamping companies, smARTworks, has a ton of inchies and "little bits" which are perfect for these tiles.  The inchies have a frame, but the tiles are smaller than that, which is great for the these! 

The tile at the bottom right did not photgraph really well, but I embossed it in gold, then affixed Yuzen Washi paper to it.  If I can find a way to attach tiles without grout, and seal it well, I think these would turn into a classy set of coasters!

Sympathy Card

I needed a masculine sympathy card in a hurry, and this layout was answer. :-)  I don't usually put embellishments on cards for a guy, but I needed something else, and the buttons just seemed right.

Simple Christmas cards

I pride myself on making average cards, lol! Seriously, I am not a fast cardmaker by any means, so when I can come up with something very simple, it's a good thing! These cards could not be easier ... though I still managed to take awhile to decide what I wanted to do! With Christmas just days away, this seemed an appropriate design to show.

It's all about grace

I love the sentiment on this text stamp! So original and thought provoking, especially with all the provocations that can come along with the Christmas season! May God give us grace to be gracious!

I had the ornament already finished from last year, but never made it into a card until this year, and then it was in a flying hurry, and there would be some changes I'd have made if I'd taken my time. Ah well, it's out of the house and will hopefully bless someone!

Encouragement Card

It's hard to make cards while I'm doing college classes, but I had a real burden for a woman in our church; she and her husband are having unforeseen complications in the adoption of their son, which had seemed to be a "done deal." I had hoped the card, and the words I shared inside would be an true encouragement, but when she thanked me for the card saying it was "sweet," I realized genuine ministry had not occurred. Sometimes I make a card just to be amusing, and sometimes, quite frankly, just because a card is required for an occasion and I want to save money by making one. In those cases, especially the latter, I'm not really concerned about reaction. But my reaction to this person's "sweet" comment, and the thought going through my mind of "why bother taking time I can ill afford to make a card that probably won't be appreciated?" makes me wonder if I'm looking to bless .... or impress? I did what was in my heart to do for this person, and I know it caused me to pray for her situation more faithfully. Can I learn to let this be enough for me?

Joy in the Journey

Wow, the summer has flown by, and now school is in session again. I thought I would get to do so much more cardmaking than I did, but with my son home for the first time in nearly two years, a family reunion to help plan activities for, getting my youngest ready for college, and catching up on everything I didn't do during my 39 credit school year ... it just didn't leave a lot of time! But, I did get a few cards made, including a bunch for Christmas that I'll post later (actually, they still need actual assembly, lol, gluing is the boring part of cardmaking I tend to avoid!).

I liked the idea of doing a monochromatic card with these stamps, and the ribbon I had was the inspiration. :-)

Peacock dreams

Wow, my first card this YEAR!!!

I tried pigment powders first on this image, but was not satisfied. But the gold leaf worked beautifully! I didn't have a specific goal for a card, but when I finished this, I knew it was meant for a young friend of mine. Hope I was right!

smARTword challenge

This is the last of the smARTword challenges, so take advantage of this last opportunity for free stamps!

The word for this month is "merry"!

The adorable vintage image is available in two sizes at smARTworks. :-)

smARTword challenge

The theme for this month's smARTword challenge is simple.I inked the stamp with butterscotch, then lightly tapped the sides of it in rust before stamping onto the panel. I then lightly chalked some green. I wish it had photographed better, I used bronze mica which looks really elegant, and the stamped image and panel behind the bronze are actually more rust colored, and not so orange.

Make a simple card, and get a chance to win free stamps!

Set me as a seal, upon your heart...

Is this a romantic scripture, or is this more about our relationship with God? I guess that depends on your interpretation of the book of Solomon. I think it can be used either way, and so two of these I put under the "love" category of my cards in the places in which I sell, and two in the "scripture" section. :-) I'll post the other two tomorrow.

The black floral panel was stamped using opalite inks. They are a little more subtle than this picture shows them to be, but it is still really pretty; I love using these inks! But they will not show up very well if you are using anything other than a very black black. I have some blacks that are not quite as dark, and I've been disappointed with the look of the inks.

smARTword challenge

Wow, is it really a month since I last posted? Going to college full time definitely makes life, um, full!

This month's smARTword challenge is "brown." Make a card focusing on this color, link it to the smARTword blog, and have a chance for free stamps!

Lamentations 3:21-23

I love to make cards with this scripture!

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

The images are stamped with opalite inks. This ink looks wonderful, very shimmery and colorful, but does not photograph well.

smARTword challenge

The theme for this month's smARTword challenge is "Juvenile." I rarely make cards for children, but I do enjoy stamps of children, and this is one of my favorites!

I colored the frogs with markers, and the boys with chalks.

May Joys Abound!

I needed to make a set of notecards (for me, that means cards without layers or embellishments), and this design worked perfectly for one! To make the background stripes, I used strips of rubber trimmed from a set of bookmark stamps. I love saving those scraps! These were unusually large, but small shapes are helpful too. You can make a homemade mosaic background stamp, form funkly letters, etc.

Joyful!

Another great collage set from smARTworks. I love anything with the word "joy" in it, and this little girl is darling! I wanted her to look like a little Latina, and I think it turned out well enough that way. I did edit the picture a little; the hair looked very patchy, and with the low-level photo editing program I have, I couldn't "fix" the hair without altering the overall color. I mention this also because I've realized just in the last few months (I made this several months ago), that I had been underusing my stamp-a-ma-jig. In the card set I made with this - my card sets are always without layers or embellishments - I would have had much better results stamping the girl image twice. With a stamp-a-majig, you just place the tool up to the stamp before removing it from the cardstock, then hold on carefully to it while you re-ink the stamp, then apply it again. This is very helpful with solid images, such as the hair on the little girl, and with clear stamps, which don't consistently give a crisp image. :-)