Grace like Rain

Today's Limited supply challenge was to make a card showing what the weather was like today. It rained off and on all morning and thankfully is starting to clear, because we have a fall festival at Church tonight. So for my rain card, I used my little girl in a rain coat and my raindrop texture plate. We were also to do a 2-2-2 challenge and then tell what our 2's were. I use a 2 step process to make my raindrop panel. I embossed and then brayered with blue ink. My second 2 is that there are 2 different fonts that I used on the sentiment. The sentiment is from a Todd Agnew song that combines AMAZING GRACE and his chorus. The last 2 was I have 2 layers on the little girl. I stamped her once on white cardstock and once on yellow cardstock. I spread glue over the surface of the yellow cardstock. When the glue dried, it has a look of a real raincoat.

Butterflies

I made this for 2 challenges. The first was for this week's SCS sketch challenge. The other was for the Ways to use it challenge to use purple on a card. I love purple and orange together.

Magic Card

I made this magic card for my mother. I was thinking about Cindy's black and white teaparty challenge to bring color when I made this card. I was also thinking about Kelly's word of the week #10 which was CHINWAG: to converse, chat. When you pull the tab all the way out it says I love my talks with you. And finally I was thinking of the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to make a card showing thankfulness. I am thankful that my mom and I can talk on the phone everyday even though she lives in Phoenix and I live in Iowa.

Thankful for color

This card is a double duty card. It is for Mothermarks Teapot Challenge and for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ #10 Challenge.

Cindy's story started with Mr. and Mrs. Blacken White living in a colorless world. Everything in their home is either black or white. Mr. White lets his wife put 2 pumpkins outside their house each fall, but that isn't enough color for Mrs. White. We were challenged to make a colorful card. I tried to see how many different colored inks I could use. I started with all white cardstock and black cardstock. I used these Martha Stewart inks: sea lavender, ocean, dusk blue, leaf bud, stem green, dandelion, blue sky, lilac, mandarin orange, red chrysanthemum, pink geranium, and pink dahlia. I also used Adirondack wildflower and Black Stazon. I used the retiform technique. My butterflies and top flower are on dimensionals. I used a computer to print my scripture, and finished it off wtih little black brads in the corners.

The Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge was to make a card that expresses your thankfulness for someone or something they have done, or that encourages someone to be thankful. I have a friend at Church who is going through a really tough time. She has been a stay at home mom and her husband has been out of work for a couple of months. She has a teenaged son who is struggling with debilitating headaches, and she herself is dealing with a lot of health issues. I hope that this card will encourage her. It reminded me that if I want to stay in God's will, I need to have a thankful heart, not a complaining or whining attitude. I dislike it when my kids complain. I wonder how much God dislikes it when I complain.

I know Mrs. Blacken White is fictional, but if I were in her postition, I know it would be so easy to to fall into the temptation of complaining. I can even hear my voice saying...This isn't fair, I love colors. Everyone else gets colors. I am missing out.... It would be so easy to have the wrong perspective. I bet if I were to look out the window I would see lots of colors. Blue sky, Green grass, Red cardinals, Purple flowers, ORANGE pumpkins, Yellow Leaves... When I look for God's blessings, I always find them. THANK YOU GOD.

Fall Family Tradition

Every fall, since we moved here to Iowa, I have taken photos of our family at a little lake near our town. It is really neat to see how my kids have grown.

Technique lovers Retiform

I am so excited. Today I got to host the technique lovers challenge at SCS. TLC244 I have lots of cards that show that technique, but I felt compelled to make a new one. I really like how this one turned out.

Black and blue and white

The inspiration challenge at SCS was to be inspired by something on the Anthropologie website. I chose this outfit what was black and white with a touch of blue on the flowers. I punched the ede with my fiskars border punch. I stamped the flowers and flourishes with black stazon ink. I used my prisma colored pencils to add some blue. I added 3 little clear rhinestones at the right hand side.

Dance in the rain

The limited supply challenge was to make a girly card. This little girl image came to my mind. I embossed the raindrops and brayered over them with blue to make them stand out. I printed the sentiment on my computer. I paper pieced her raincoat and hat with yellow cardstock. It doesn't show in the photo, but there is a layer of clear fingernail polish on the coat and hat that makes is really shiny.

Patchwork cards

The ways to use it challenge at SCS was to use patchwork on our card. I pieced a spinning star and then redid it. I also made this 9 piece patchwork card with my drawing of Patchwork Pattie.

WOW FLUBDUB

This is for Kelly's Word of the Week. The word was FLUBDUB. It means foolish nonsense talk, and it also means showy and cheap. The first thing that came to mind was the poem Jaberwocky by Lewis Carroll. I love this poem. I did retiform with yellows pink and red. I used dp that I haven't ever because it really isn't my style. I then added some gaudy sequins. I was going for a wild, cheap looking card, but I actually really liked how this card turned out. It is one of my favorites.

Photos of Barn and Butterfly

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago. I thought I would share them with you.

Polar bear

I made this little snowy scene for the sketch challenge at SCS. I stamped my bear and trees. I masked them and brayered over them with blue. I added white acrylic paint and glitter. I added chalk to his cheeks and I used a colored pencil to color the heart. I added 3 little snowflakes and glitter and a ribbon.

Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge #9

Last week I found the blog for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ. I wanted to play but didn't have the chance. This weeks' challenge was to use Luke 2:11 and make a Christmas card showing the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

Mothermark Miss You 4 HOPE

This is the teapot that Dawn suggested that we use for our inspiration for our Mothermark Miss You challenge. I made another wiper card. I embossed my card and brayered over the top to make it look like tile. I drew the ribbon on the tiles and colored the ribbon in with 4 different pink markers.

Wiper card

This is what I did for the technique lovers challenge to make a wiper card. The little gingerbread man pops up when you pull the sides of the card.

Moonlit moose

This was for the SCS inspiration challenge. I didn't have a deer stamp, but I did have a moose. I masked the moon and the reflection and I brayered over the top with blue.

BOO

The stampin b design challenge was to make a Halloween card. I don't celebrate Halloween, but I have seen some really cute cards in the SCS gallery. This is one that I saw two years ago. I loved him. I had to make him.

Start with part of card already done

The limited supply challenge was to start with a store bought card. I didn't have any of those, but I did have this little daisy gift card that came with a bouquet of flowers from my in laws.

Falling Leaves

The challenge was to use leaves on our cards.

Tall Card

Last week's CCEE challenge was to make a tall -long card.

WOW - IDEAL

This is the card that I made for my friend Kelly's Word of the Week Challenge. The word was Ideal.

Mother Mark Miss You 3

This week for my Mothermark Miss You challenge I used a pumpkin teapot. These are the two cards that I made for that challenge.

Easel Card - Sunset

I really like how my sunset card turned out for the inspiration challenge so I made another one and made it an easel card.

Butterflies and bugs

Both of these cards were made for the inspiration challenge at SCS. I really like how the sunset one turned out.

Porcelain Paper Leaf Pin

I took my leaf stamp and colored it with three diferent markers.

After I colored the stamp, I sprayed it with water.

I stamped it 3 times on cream colored cardstock.

I colored the leaves in with my prisma colored pencils.

I cut the leaves out.

I glued the leaves one on top of eachother.

I put a layer of tacky glue over the top of the top leaf.

I smeared the glue around using my finger.

When the glue was dry I glued a pin to the back.

Last step was to put a coat of clear fingernail polish over the leaf

to make it shiny.

Sketch challenge and WOW card

I made these cards using today's sketch challenge. I really liked this sketch. My top card is also for Kelly's word of the week. This week's word was sinistrorse. It means : of a plant- twining spirally upward around an axis from right to left. I hope my little pumpkin vine is sinistrorse not dexatrorse.

Mother Mark Miss You 2

This is the teapot and card for my Mothermark Miss You 2. I made it in honor of Cindy's birthday which is in October. I used a little girl image that I got from my friend Peggy. She is just so cute. I changed the polka dots on my hat to hearts to match the little girl.

faux suede

I made this card for the technique lovers challenge to make faux suede. It was super easy. You break the fibers of the cardstock down and then peel the layers apart. I found it worked best with smaller panels. I kept hearing "Don't you step on my blue suede shoes..." when I was reading about this technique, so I had to do blue suede. I also made two little panels of brown suede. I added paper leaves. I stamped flourishes in blue ink on the base of the card and made faux buttons that I tied twine to.

Army of God

Last week I shared that we were getting ready for our scout cubanapolis. Kaleb wanted to make his box car a Hummer. He wanted it painted camo and he wanted to call it ARMY OF GOD. He did the design work, and the cutting. I had to help with the hot glue gun, and dad helped with the spray painting so that we didn't end up with our dock more painted than the box. He camped out the night before the race in 40 degree temps and rain and had a blast. The morning of the race was damp and cold. The boys still had a lot of fun. Kaleb's car won overall best design out of about 70 cars. He was so proud of his trophy, he wanted to take it to church to show his friends. We are planning on using his ARMY OF GOD hummer as part of his costume for our fall festival at church.

Where the real action was. Kaleb racing fellow cubscout Blake.

Trophy winner!!

Best design out of about 70 cars.

Kaleb in his Army of God Hummer.