A Day Away...

It's been a long day - whew!  But it was a very good day : )  Spending time with people is one of my very favorite things to do, and today I got to do a lot of that - yay!!!

On the other hand... I did not get to do any crafting - boo!  I am hoping to create a card for Crafty Catz Challenge this week.  Check them out!


Another new blog to see is The Divine Influence - you can see them here:  The Divine Influence

Well - I may or may not be able to post tomorrow.  I need to have a procedure done under general anesthesia, so I'll have to wait n see if my eyes can focus properly and my brain can function.  No comments from the peanut gallery - ha ha!


Thank you so much for the love a couple of you bloggers have left for me!  I really appreciate it : )


May the LORD bless you, keep you, and comfort your soul ~
Lori

So Thankful for You!

Hey Everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was absolutely fabulous : )  Although I spent the better part of two days traveling, it was well worth the time and aching muscles to be in beautiful Santa Barbara!  Oh how I miss the view of the hills.  To sit at Starbucks drinking my decaf mocha in such a peaceful setting was beyond amazing!  Of course the best part was visiting my friend's daughter who attends Westmont.  Have you been there?  You'll just have to take a drive to see this incredible college...  we were able to see two volleyball games while we were there.  Go Warriors!!!  I am so very proud of you!

This is the card I made for my traveling buddy.  When I saw this paper, it reminded me of her, so I just had to whip up a quick card.  She's the best friend in the world : )

Here is a close up so you can see the gems I used for emphasis.  I think it gives this card just the right touch : )

Don't-cha just love the shimmery ribbon?  It's bronze metallic from Offray.  The clear stamp is from Michael's.  Paper is from Imaginisce.

I pray you are well and soaring high as on wings of eagles!

May God bless you and comfort your soul ~

Lori

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to everyone celebrating their anniversary today!!!  Earlier this month, we celebrated our 27th year of marriage.  Absolutely amazing!  I do have a wonderful husband... I'm definitely keeping him : )


Tonight I delivered the last of the three sets of 25 cards I made for the Africa Auction.  It feels so good to have that obligation taken care of!  So... here is one of the cards from those sets.  I just had to make a few extra so I could have 'em on hand.  I love the elegance of this anniversary card!  What do you think?

The "bride and groom" and "Happy Anniversary" are stamped in black with Versafine Ink; the rings are stamped in silver with Color Box Pigment Ink and embossed with silver detail embossing powder.  I cut out the ovals and the hearts with my Cricut Expression.  This is the greatest "tool" evah!!!  The stamp set I used is one of the clear sets from Michael's.  


Michael's really does have a wonderful selection of clear stamps now!  It is one of my fav stores to visit.  I just love to walk up and down the aisles.  I think it must be similar to my husband who likes to be around cars or tools - lol!  I love tools also, but they have much more meaning to me when I can use them for creating cards! 


Hey... have you checked out Paper Craft Planet?  I'm just learning the ropes there, but it's a great place to hang out.  You can see it HERE
Well - tomorrow we are half way through the week.  Does anyone else feel the days just flyin' by?  Where does the time go - and why can't we save it up??? lol!


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

First Experience Coloring With Copics

Today I promised that I'd show you my first attempt at coloring with my copic markers.  I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as hard as I imagined!  I did notice, however, that in the smaller areas I used waaay too much color...  You'll notice that the shoes especially look blurred - lol! As I work with these markers, I can tell that I need to concentrate more on blending the deeper shades.  This will help the image to "pop" off the page!  Hey, if I can do this, anyone can! 


I'm sure the first thing you'll see is the black ink mark which I didn't take care to wipe off of the stamp... I would NEVER use this in my artwork, but since I wasn't intending anyone to see it, I didn't mind at the time : )  Honestly, I want you to see that I make "mistakes" just like everyone else - hee hee!

I do love this stamp from Susana's Custom Art and Card Design.  Isn't she adorable?  Her name is Milla from the Hearts and Hugs Collection.  These are great stamps!  You can see the entire collection HERE  (and no, I do not get paid to say that - lol!)


Hopefully, I will have actual cards that I've designed for you to see soon.  I just completed three sets of 25 cards each for an auction we had to support a group of people called to go to Africa.  Oh, it was amazing!  I have developed relationships in Africa that I will never forget! God truly is good.


Until next time, my friends...


May God bless you and comfort your soul ~


Lori

Copic Markers Color Chart

Whew!  Last night, I continued to play around with the layout of this blog.  I still have so far to go... my ole laptop is getting tired pretty fast.  Maybe someday I'll be able to get a new computer - we'll see how that goes!

Ok - so I have learned how to transfer my pics to my laptop, and now have successfully uploaded the photo of the copic color chart I made the other day.  Sorry for the landscape view since it was made in portrait format - oops!  Anyway, I wanted to show you that I decided to make my own chart instead of using the chart on the copic website.  I couldn't figure out how to "shrink" it for use on 8-1/2 x 11 paper (the size available for my printer).  The chart is something like 17 x 14 - or some size that my printer can't handle.  So...... I decided to make my own using Microsoft Excel.  It was very easy adjusting the cell height and width using "Format" and "Row" or "Column."  Row height I used is 46; Column width is 20.  I simply typed in each copic number and color for each marker I presently own, trying to keep them in color "families."  I then colored in each box accordingly, both with full saturation and also just one "swipe" with the chisel end.  This way, I can see at a glance how light or dark each color will be!

So, here's the result of my effort...

Pretty cool, huh?  Of course, as I add to my collection, they won't be in order anymore... but I don't expect to be able to add more too soon - darn!

Tomorrow, I will show you my first attempt at coloring a stamped image!  I am learning soooo much.  Thank you to all my cyber friends who have instructed me in this - I am grateful!!!  I want to share all I am learning with you : )

See you tomorrow!

May God bless you and comfort your soul ~

Lori