Grace and Peace to You!

Welcome back sweet friends!  I pray that you've been healthy and filled with JOY :D  I am on the Prayer Team at church and there have been soooooo many people in need of special prayer from cancer and other serious illnesses to anxiety and depression...  Jesus says that in this world, we will have trouble... but we are to take heart because He has OVERCOME the world with all it's sickness and disease.  Our sin has been nailed to the cross where we now have PEACE with God - IF we have made the personal decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  I pray that you have : D

Today's card uses Peace by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD from the Odds and Ends Collection.  I've been waiting to use her for someone special and today hubby and I are invited to a special lady's home for dinner.  She's going to show me how to make Butternut Squash Ravioli!  She is the BEST cook ever... but she's gone through so many surgeries for cancer, so I thought Peace was perfect for such a time as this!

She's colored with copics and accented with Stardust Stickles.  Just take a look at those pearls... The large half pearls in the center of the flowers are self stick, but the small pearls in groups of three are Viva Decor Opal Paper Pen.  If you've visited me before, you already know how much I ADORE my Paper Pens lol!  I simply can't live without 'em : D

What do you think of the red lace?  Everything else was in blues, so I wanted a touch of red... I have this awesome lace stamp by Kaisercraft so I can create any color lace I need, isn't that great?  I've stamped it twice here and used a 1/16" hole punch along the edges.  You can find the Lace stamp *Here.*

I finally have my sewing machine out and plugged in, but I wanted to use my Sew Easy Tool so I could hand sew while I watched TV.  The horizontal strip uses the Zig Zag Attachment.  I was actually surprised to find that it wasn't a problem going through two layers of paper (the cs is Bazzil, which is pretty thick!).  You can find the Sew Easy Tool and all the attachments *Here.*  I just ordered an attachment that will allow me to sew "♥love ♥ love" well, similar to that...  How fun!!!  The love attachment is *Here.*

Are you a MEMORY BOX DIE fan?  I've used the Elegant Scrollwork die here.  Susana has lots of different designs in the store.  The only trouble is that peeps keep buying them and when I want one, they are out of stock lol!  These dies are hot sellers, so if you want something, you'd better be quick!

Recipe

Stamps: Peace by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD; Lace by Kaisercraft

Ink Pad:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Copic Markers

Spellbinders:  Large Classic Oval and Large Classic Scalloped Oval

Memory Box Die: Elegant Scrollwork

DP: Memory Box - Brioche

Sewing:  Sew Easy Tool w/straight and zig zag attachments

Pearls:  Viva Decor Opal Paper Pen

Crystal:  Swarovski

Stardust Stickles

Stash:  Large self-stick pearls, flowers, ribbon

OK... I'm not sure if I was supposed to have a card featuring masking, but I sure do want to point you to Danni's FABULOUS masking tutorial *HERE.* You will find tons of valuable information!  Thanks Danni, you did a great job!!!  : )

It's been so nice spending a little time visiting some of you... I just wish that I could visit more of you, more often!!!  Well... I hope that my guilty conscience is good news for you, cuz I not only have one Cricut Cartridge, but TWO to give away!!!  They are both as NEW (opened, but never used).  My next post will have photos and a place for you to enter if you wish : D

Have a great weekend!!!  I hope to have one more post before the weekend is over, so check back soon...

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

New Stamps Today!!!

Oh my!  The wind has been horrendous the last couple of days!  It is bone chilling - brrrrr....  Thank goodness for my little 'puppy' (he's actually 4) who loves to cuddle up on my lap while I craft or work on my computer.  He's the best heater!!!

I'm also working on another older computer after I deleted personal and unnecessary files... oops, I must have deleted something the computer needs to work properly cuz now it's not!!!  If it's not one thing, it's another!  Sigh...

On the bright side :D  :D  :D ...  Today is the fabulous Stocking Stuffer Release - Odds and Ends Sampler by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD hop hop hop!  We have lots of inspiration and ADORABLE new stamps to show you today.  The wait is finally over - yay!!!  Each and every one of these cutie-pies are available TODAY - yippppeeeee!!!

You know the 'drill'...  If you've been hopping with us, you should have come from Donalda's blog.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, hop on over to see Danni.  So here's my contribution from the Ends Set, Designing Dreams by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD!

Do you love her as much as I do?  She's just so sweet with her adorable outfit and precious little kitten.  I wonder if her furry companion cuddles up in her lap to keep her warm???

I've colored Designing Dreams with the following copics:  Pants - E29 E27 E25 E13 E11 E00 E000; Pinks - R85 R83 R81 R000; Skin - E11 E00 E000 R20; Hair - E49 E59 E25 E53; Kitten - W3 W1 E00.  Stardust Stickles on her pocket, patches and pant cuffs.

All pearls are Viva Decor Opal Paper Pen.  Another ribbon snatched up at JoAnn's, as well as the beads.  Since I had the WO flowers out from my last card, I used them again here, but you can find flowers on SALE *Here* and *Here.*  FYI - Also on SALE are 6x6 paper pads *Here*

The metal corners were brads, but I cut those off and used glue instead.  Did you notice the 'brooch' in the upper left corner?  It's a little wonky... I cut it out from a Scrap Girls kit and put a coat of Viva Decor Transparent Gloss Gel on top so it would have an acrylic like coating.

Challenges Entered:
Anything Goes - #55 Decorative or Altered Corners
Bearly Mine - All My Favorite Things (roses, pink, cuteness galore!!)
Creative Craft - Free for All
Party Time Tuesdays - #44Anything Goes
Divas by Design - #16 Anything Goes
Freshly Brewed - #75 Fabric
Simon Says - Anything Goes
Do You Stack Up - #48 Ribbon
Pile It On - #48 Sugar and Spice

Your next stop is Dianne - yay!!!  She's sure to knock your socks off with her talent :D

Thank you for stopping by!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul~

It's all about Love

Hello my sweet friends! I pray you are having a week filled with rays of warm sunshine :) Today actually was very pleasant here in California! It is so nice to see the sun...just warms my soul ♥

If you've been following the saga of my hubby and his struggle to get his license to drive truck, you know that it's been quite a roller coaster ride for both of us! He was soooooo close to passing today, but then his backup skills didn't make the cut. Sigh. If I'm tired of it all, I can only imagine what he's been feeling! I am so proud of him though. He's never worked harder for something he's wanted so badly. So... if he continues to pursue this career, he'll have to start all over (again). Please pray that God will make His will known regarding this and that my hubby will follow in obedience! I KNOW how powerful prayer is, and I'm asking for your support. It means so much to me - thank you!

Now on to this week's Try It Out *T*... we have a color challenge with a twist! Use red or pink, and white or cream - make it about Love ♥. When given the choice, I default to pink, so I'm kinda surprised at what I came up with!

This is Cupcake and Kittens by Carmen Medlin for SCACD from the Reflections Set #2. Pretty adorable, huh?

I know this is quite busy, so I've kept the image pretty 'calm.' She's stamped with Memento Ink, colored with copics and just the right amount of stickles added for a touch of pizazz! lol! The pearls are made simply (and easily I might add lol!) with my Viva Decor Opal Paper Pen. EVERY TIME I use these paper pens, I fall in love all over again! I am not kidding!!! :)

Here's a close up of the MS heart I punched and blanketed with Glamour Dust (which is 15% off right now!). To continue with the red and white theme, I had to add a tiny red bow :) Do you see the 'lace' behind the scalloped oval (which is also 15% off!)? Not the real lace, but the paper 'lace.' It's made from the MS heart punch! To complete this Love Theme, I tied a bow from white satin ribbon and popped a red heart on top, put a few beads on the pin and tucked it under the bow - voila! You can find similar pins Here.

Oh... I almost forgot! The dp is from the Crush Collection by Bo Bunny (15% off!). You can find it Here!

Thanks for visiting today :) Come back soon... time is ticking for me to gather together my celebration CANDY and get the photo here so you can seeeeeeee!

Until next time...
May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul ~

Turning Over a New Leaf!

Helloooooooooo!  Did ya miss me?  I've been absent... again.  I'm positive that I'm not the only one who's been super busy.  Why do things seem to pile up and then everything is an 'emergency'? lol.  I really don't like to operate that way.  I like things to be smooth and stress free, but I don't think that's a reality while I'm here on this earth!  Have I gotten glimpses of that?  Sure... but I think it's been during the 'pile up stages' hahaha!

Well, my puppy dog is still not doing well.  It's almost time to check in with the vet again.  He is in pain (he's been taking pain meds for a couple of weeks now) and doesn't have proper use of his hind legs.  Poor Sammy :(  I do hope that he improves soon - I don't want to think about the alternative.  He'll be just 4 years old in January - sigh...

On a happy note, I've lost... are ya ready?  Drum roll please... 1 lb!!!  LOL!  Well, ya gotta start somewhere.  Actually, tomorrow will be my next 'weigh in.'  I'm hoping that I've lost at least 2 lbs.  That's a good healthy way to lose.  If you lose more than 1-2 lbs. per week, you'll be losing muscle instead of fat.  At least that's what I've read.  So it seems that I'm pretty much on track.  That is unless I've gained - HORROR!!!  I've got to find me a weight loss widget : )

So... turning over a new leaf.  Yes indeedy!  I'm on my way to a healthier me.  This BRAND NEW image by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD is from the mini Sampler Edition #1 called 1st Leaf of Fall.  Lots of leaves to turn over here hee hee!

Our Try It Out *T* this week is to use an animal image with some fun products from Susana's store to create texture.  Where's the animal you ask?  You're looking right at her!  We humans are animals lol!  I know, I kinda cheated, but I really really wanted to use this super cute image!

 I've colored her up with copics in the following colors:  Skin - E11 E21 E00 R20; Hair - E34 YR24 Y23 Y21; Pants - E35 E34 E33 E31 E30; Leaves - G20 E35 E34 E30 Y04.  You know I gotta have some bling... so I added Stardust Stickles to her pant cuff and pocket as well as the leaves.  For more texture and color, I used a combination of Citrus Crush and Toffee Ultra Fine Flower Soft amongst the leaves on the ground.  I really like the way it looks and it's so quick and easy to create this effect with Flower Soft!

The stamp does not have all the leaves you see here.  There are two leaves above her head in the actual stamp (see Here) - I inked up just the two leaves and added more... just because lol!  The rhinestone swirl is a portion of a larger swirl which was too big for the card so I just cropped it!  Then I colored every other rhinestone with E35 or YR24 - simple... I love how I can custom color embellishments with my copics!  How did I ever live without em?

Another must have product for me is Viva Decor Paper Pen.  I've used my Opal Paper Pen to make the half pearls in the corners.  Another oh so easy peasy technique.  I LOVE my Paper Pens!!!  Yes, I am a broken record.  I'll keep saying it cuz it's soooooooooooo true!

I finally remembered not to put the adhesive along the edges of the dp/cs so I could sew - yippppeeee!  I really like the look of stitching.  The last few cards I've made I kept forgetting - grrrrrr!  Sew... here's to many more lol!

Oh, in case you're wondering, the dp is by DCWV, Amber Autumn Fall Stack Collection.  All other embellishments are from my every growing stash...

So happy that you've stopped by!!!

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul ~

You are my Sunshine : )

You are my sunshine... my only sunshine... You make me happy when skies are *blue... Join with me!!!  You never know dear how much I love you... Please don't take my sunshine away.  LOL!  Now fess up - did you sing out loud, or just in your head??? hee hee  Edited: ** Oops - 'blue' should be 'grey' (thanks Jack! Next time, you should lead us lol!)

This oh so adorable image by Elisabeth Bell for SCACD is from the Animapeeps collection.  She's called Just Ducky.  She LOVES your singing btw.

I've followed the sketch from Sketch Saturday - thanks, it was a lot of fun!  As a matter of fact, I have another one in the works using this same sketch lol.

Just Ducky is colored with copics:  ummmmm would you say pink? hee hee  RV11 RV10 RV00 RV000; blue - B01 B00 B000; orange - YR04 YR01.  Of course I had to add some bling!  I used my Quickie Glue pen and glitter for the dots on the umbrella and on top of the buttons.  For shine, I added Diamond Glaze on Ducky's eyes, boots and the 'froggy's' eyes.  Whose says that frogs need to be green?

DP is KAISERCRAFT Hippy girl Collection.  Circle and scalloped circle die cuts with my nesties and embellished with Opal Paper Pen.  MS doily lace punch (I think that's the only one I know the name of hahahaha!) also embellished with Opal Paper Pen.  Have I told you lately how much I LOVE these Viva Decor Paper Pens?  Just look at all the 'pearls' I would have used just on this card.  I have tons more in the bottle lol!  The Paper Pens come in tons of delish colors too.  I'm gonna collect them all!!!

Sizzix die cut swirls embellished with... c'mon, say it with me... Opal Paper Pen :) The cute little tag with button at the top of the card is a QuicKutz die I've had a long time.  I need to use it more often - wait - I AM using it again on my next card tooooooo!  Faux stitching, ribbon, sentiment by studio g and heart charm finish it off.  Oh... I also picked up a new Cuttlebug embossing folder.  It's the larger 5 x 7 size so it covered the background cs - yay!!!  Susana has some of the new larger size Cuttlebug EFs Here.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Moving Along With the Times - stitching
Cowgirl Up - Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers - Glitter

Simon Says - Pearls and Lace (paper lace)
Stampin B's - Charm
ABC - Charm

I appreciate you coming by to visit!  Feel free to drop in anytime you're in blogland : )

May God bless you, keep you and comfort your soul ~