interlocking folded card

I was inspired by Sonia Seller's Cascade Card. I altered her idea to fit on a regular sheet of cardstock. I also put my card on a rectangle base to add stability. Here is my tutorial on how I made this card.

Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge 124

Sunday and another wonderful scripture picked by one of my wonderful friends and sister in Christ, Linda. The scripture she choose is: Phillipians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

What a wonderful challenge. I know that I am not alone in struggling with my thought life.The following scripture is what came to my mind when I read the other one.
2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

Lord, help me to take my thoughts and make them obedient to Christ, and to what you would will in my life. So that you will get the glory and I will be blessed. In Jesus's name amen!

Linda's challenge for us was to: Create a card/project true to your style - show us who you really are!

That was a challenge in and of itself. How would I describe my style? At first I thought I could describe my style as "Romantic, shabby, elegant, vintage, and a little off the wall". But that didn't seem to work, so I would describe my style as "Complicated Creative" But how to make a card that shows that? I choose to make my card with blues and greens my favorite color. It started out as white and I ink spray smashed the blues and greens and sprayed with with antique gold paint spray (My favorite technique). The I embossed it using my music embossing folder, because music is a big part of my life. I play piano and keyboard and sing on the worship team at my church. I added the lace because I love the vintage look. I love flowers, so I had to add the flowers. I added the 3-d paper tole rose because, I am going to share a tutorial on how I do paper tole. My friend Mary asked me about it this week and I thought showing her would help. I am also sharing because I am a teacher at heart. That is what my college degree is in, Elementary Education. So much description for one little card. Thanks for reading through it all. :)

My tutorial:

Our sponsor this week is: Inspired Stamps They are generously giving one blessed winner $15 store credit. Be sure to check them out this week.

Check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created for your inspiration:

Kristine
Linda
Miesje
Peggysue
Traci

Stampin Sisters in Christ Challenge #123

The following is the scripture that my Stampin' Sister in Christ, Kris, choose for this week: Proverbs 3:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

The first thought when I read this verse was about how many times I have been let down by others. I have had people close to me who didn't hold on to love and faithfulness. As a boy scout leader, I have the opportunity to work with boys of broken homes. I am saddened by all that they have to go through because love and faithfulness were not the priority in their parent's lives. My challenge is to be an example for them.

The second thought when I read this verse was about how many times I have let others down. How many times have I put my own needs, my own wants before truly loving those around me? I wish I could say that I am always a loving person and that I am not ever selfish, but sometimes that is not the case.I better get to work getting it around my neck and written on my heart.

The last thought I had was how thankful I am that God shows love and faithfulness that will never leave. These two scriptures came to my mind.

John 3:16 For God LOVED the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will NEVER leave you.



Kris's challenge this week is: Make a heart stand out in your card/project.
Our sponsor this week is Digital Delights by Louby Lou. One blessed winner will get 3 free images from her store.
Make sure you check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created for you to see, as well as read what my sister Kris has to say that will encourage your heart.


For my project I used a heart and sentiment from a newly released Mark's Finest Papers set called, YOU ARE CHERISHED. I was going for a Clean and Simple look. I think I achieved that, but I don't think simple or easy are words to describe this card. I fussy cut the flowers out. That wasn't hard I guess, just time consuming. The hard part was figuring out how to stamp the sentiment and leave enough space between the words to allow for it to slip inside the heart. I ended up masking the first two words in the sentiment with a post it note to get the spacing right.

I embossed a the white layer using my dotted swiss (ef). I zig zag stitched the panels in place. To finish the card off I add little drops of hot glue to the centers of the flowers. When I first put the glue on there were those annoying little strings and the drops of glue had points at the top. I took my heat gun and hit them with a quick blast of hot air and the strings dissapeared and the tops became really smooth and round. I then took a marker and added some brown color to the glue. Below is a close up view.


I love listening to this song by Third Day that starts out singing about God's Love and Faithfulness just like today's scripture.



I hope you have a blessed week.

Mark's Finest Papers January Blog Hop Day 4

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's January Blog Hop!
This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Love Remains Featured January 17
Cowgirls Rule Featured January 18
Sending Happy Thoughts Featured January 19
You Are Cherished Featured January 20

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!)We will announce all four winners on January 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win!) The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Friday January 20, 2012.

Lois
Vicky
Anne
Pat G.
Karen H.
Patty P.
Mary
Dawn M.
Marilynn (This is me)
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Nancy
Bonnie
Harriet
Kathy
Silvia
Brenda
Mark's Finest Papers

My favorite set of this Months release would have to be this one. I love the big Pansy Heart. I stamped it on heavy white cardstock. I then water colored the pansies. I took strips of white tissue paper and ink spray smashed it with blues and purples. When it was dry I accordian folded it and added it to the back of my heart. I stitched the heart to the tissue paper with my sewing machine. Then I took my deckle scissors and cut the edges. I printed the sheet music and flourish dp on my computer. I sewed them to the black cardstock and added the lace. Then I sprayed the whole surface with antique gold spray. I printed the scripture Joshua 1:9 on my computer because that is this week's scripture at WORD ART WEDNESDAY. I added a paper tole pansy from an older MFP set called Happy Pansies.

With this close up you can see the gold spray.

I used a different translation than Cassandra used because when my kids were little they learned this version in their VBS. Music has such a power to help memorize scripture. All I have to do is say Joshua 1:9 and all my kids can still say it word for word even though it was almost 8 years ago that they learned it. If you would like to hear it I placed it below.

Mark's Finest Papers January Blog hop day 3

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's January Blog Hop!
This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Love Remains Featured January 17
Cowgirls Rule Featured January 18
Sending Happy Thoughts Featured January 19
You Are Cherished Featured January 20

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!)We will announce all four winners on January 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win!) The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Friday January 20, 2012.

Lois
Vicky
Anne
Pat G.
Karen H.
Patty P.
Mary
Dawn M.
Marilynn (This is me)
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Nancy
Bonnie
Harriet
Kathy
Silvia
Brenda
Mark's Finest Papers

These postage stamp images, just made me want to go CAS. The rose stamp is stamped 2 times. I cut the square panel up and put cardstock in between the layers to give it dimension. I added a bow and the sentiment. I water colored the top rose stamp image.

Mark's Finest Papers January Blog Hop Day 2

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's January Blog Hop!

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Love Remains Featured January 17
Cowgirls Rule Featured January 18
Sending Happy Thoughts Featured January 19
You Are Cherished Featured January 20

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!)We will announce all four winners on January 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win!) The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Friday January 20, 2012.

Lois
Vicky
Anne
Pat G.
Karen H.
Patty P.
Mary
Dawn M.
Marilynn (This is me)
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Nancy
Bonnie
Harriet
Kathy
Silvia
Brenda
Mark's Finest Papers

My inspiration for my bookmark came from my friend Cathy. Check out her card HERE.

I made my turquoise using a piece of turquoise colored paper. I took a black pen and drew the veins on the paper. I then covered the paper with hot glue. I glued tinfoil to cardstock and used the die cut to make the "Silver".

I stamped the sentiment from Cowgirls Rule on the bookmark. I took a pen and doodled the edges and added twine.

Close up view of my turquoise!!

Day 1 January MFP Blog Hop

Hello! Welcome to Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company's January Blog Hop!

This month's New Stamp Set Releases are

Love Remains Featured January 17
Cowgirls Rule Featured January 18
Sending Happy Thoughts Featured January 19
You Are Cherished Featured January 20

Please hop along with us! You have a chance to win one of the above stamp sets! Just comment on the following blogs (don't forget this one), each day for more chances to win! (You do NOT have to comment on all the blogs each day! The names are drawn randomly!)We will announce all four winners on January 21, 2012 on the Mark's Finest Papers blog. You can go back and comment if you missed a day. (HINT: The more you comment, the more chances you have to win!) The winners will be chosen at 11PM EST on Friday January 20, 2012.

Lois
Vicky
Anne
Pat G.
Karen H.
Patty P.
Mary
Dawn M.
Marilynn
Chrissy
Karen K.
Pam
Debbie
Nancy
Bonnie
Harriet
Kathy
Silvia
Brenda
Mark's Finest Papers

For this set, I used a little paper mache box. I painted it white and hot glued lace to the edges. I use the paper tole technique with the big rose and glued it to the top.

Stampin Sisters in Christ 122

Rev 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He [!] said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

Don't you love new things? New clothes, new shoes, new car, new babies...I know I do. I love the scripture that Traci choose because, I love the fact that I am new in Christ!! The old me was a sinner and had no hope. I think God likes new things too. King David wrote this:

Psalm 96:1 Oh, sing to the LORD a NEW song! Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Everyday I get the opportunity to tell God anew how much I love him.


Traci's challenge is: Let's use something new on our card/project this week. It can be a new stamp, paper, or embellishment...or even a new technique or an idea that is new to you! Just have fun with your creation!!


The new on my card is the New stamp set from Mark's Finest Papers called YOU ARE CHERISHED. Also NEW on my card is the antique gold spray. I saw on a blog this last week how to make gold spray at a fraction of the cost of "Glimmer Mist" It only cost me about $.50 to make my own gold spray. I may have gotten carried away with it on my card. Also new on my card is the digital paper that I won from Shabby Cottage Studio.




Check out what my stampin' sisters in Christ have created this week.

Coffee Filter Roses Tutorial

I was asked the other day how I made my coffee filter roses, and if I had a tutorial for them. I made this tutorial on how I make these roses. When you see how it is done, you wont believe how super easy they are.

Give me Roses While I live inspired card

Wonderful things of folks are said
When they have passed away
Roses adorn the narrow bed
Over the sleeping clay

Give me the roses while I live
Trying to cheer me on
Useless are flowers that you give
After the soul is gone

Kind words are useless when folks lie
Cold in a narrow bed
Don't wait till death to speak kind words
Now should the words be said

Let us not wait to do good deeds
Till they have passed away
Now is the time to sow good seeds
While here on earth we stay

This song was partially the inspiration for this card. I am part of a women's fellowship group that meets at our church to help encourage eachother with life's issues, but especially losing weight. One of the older ladies in my group lost her mother and husband at the same time, about a week apart over a year ago. I got to thinking how lonely she must feel and I wondered how often someone told her that she was loved. I am going to send her this card, because I do love her and she is a special lady to me.

I used the Love sentiment from a Mark's Finest Papers set that will be released this month called, Love Remains.

The challenge at SCS for ways to use it was to use a sticker on our card/project. Below is the picture of the sticker before I added the coffee filter flowers.

Close up view of the coffee filter flowers.

Here is the song sung by The Carter Family:

21 Years and counting

21 Years ago, January 12,1991, I married my husband, my best friend, and father of my 4 children, my partner and soul mate. This is the anniversary card that I made for him. It was made with a Mark's Finest Papers set that will be released this month called LOVE REMAINS. Love has remained with me and my husband and it has helped us through some really difficult years. I knew when I saw this set that I would use it for our anniversary card. The sentiment "Lean on me" was like it was made for me and my husband. We met in college, at a Wednesday night chapel service. One of the songs they sang that night was "Lean on me" there were motions where when the words "lean on me" were sung, you leaned back to back with the person next to you. Little did I know that night that I leaned on my future husband, that I would lean on him for a lot of things to come. I thought it was really cool when I saw that this week' Word Art Wednesday was about marriage. What better way to finish an anniversary card with this scripture:

Genesis 2:24. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother

and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Happy Anniversary Derek!!

I used the sketch challenge from SCS. I used paper tole technique on the rose. If you look really closely you will see little flecks of gold paint sprayed over the whole card. The little embellishments were orange to begin with and I didn't think they matched so I painted them with antique gold paint.

This is a close up of the paper tole rose.

The inside of the card has Genesis 2:24

You are in my thoughts telescoping card

The technique challege for today was to go back over all the TLC's from 2011 and pick our favorite one. My favorite one had to be the stacked (telescoping) card. I made this for my friend who has been having a lot of health issues. She has been to the doctors, but they don't know for sure why she is feeling so ill. I just wanted to make this card for her to let her know that I am thinking about her.

Stamping Sisters in Christ 121

Phillippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

That is the scripture that my sister Peggysue picked for this week. She also challenged us to make a THINKING OF YOU card.

The start of a new year should have meant happy, easy times for my friends at my church. That was not the case for my friends Dean and Becky. They lost their 6 month old granddaughter in a fire this last week. Sometimes there are no words to say. No words will bring them peace, or healing, only God can give them that. It is all I can do to come along side and tell them that I am thinking of them, that I love them, and that I am praying for them.

When Peggysue, picked her challenge to make a THINKING OF YOU card, I had no idea that I would be making a sympathy - thinking of you card. This life is short and it is unpredictable. Let the people you love know that you love them and that you are thinking of them. You may not get another chance.

I am so bad about making cards and them sitting on my desk until the moment has passed. My challenge to myself is to mail the cards this week as the Holy Spirit brings those people to my mind, and to not procrastinate.




Check out our sponsor this week The Craft's Meow. Be sure to check out what my Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created this week.

I have decided to Follow Jesus

This week's WAW - Word Art Wednesday, was a paraphrase of Ruth 1:16 "Where you lead I will follow." My first thoughts were to the old song

"I have decided to Follow Jesus."

"Though I may wonder, still I will follow.

The world behind me the cross before me.

Though none go with me, still I will follow.

No turning back, no turning back"

I also really like the words to the hymn that I have as the second panel. It is called "I will follow thee" by James L. Elginburg. It was written in 1886. It says

" I will follow thee, my savior, whersoe'er my lot may be; where thou goest I will follow, yes my Lord, I'll follow thee.

Though the road be rough and stormy, trackless as the foaming sea; thou hast trod this way before me, and I gladly follow thee.

Though 'tis lone and dark and dreary, cheerless though my path may be, if thy voice I hear before me, fearlessly I'll follow thee.

Though I meet with tribulation, sorely tempted though I be; I remember thou wast tempted and rejoice to follow thee.

Though thou leadest through afflictions, poor, forsaken though I be; thou wast destitute, afflicted and I only follow thee.

I will follow thee my Savior, thou didst shed thy blood for me;

and though all men should forsake thee, by thy grace I'll follow thee.

God has set up a specific path for each one of us to follow. My path isn't the same as yours. But one thing I have learned is that each path has smooth areas, and difficult areas. I have friends this week who are going through one of the roughest areas on their path. They lost their 6 month old granddaughter in an apartment fire. The aunt of the little baby was saying yesterday how no one knows how she feels. My first thought was that she is right. We each have our own problems. We can sympathize with eachother, and we may go through similar things, but when it comes down to it, each of us has our own cross to pick up and follow Jesus. The comforting thought to me is that while no one knows what I am feeling or going through, God does. I thought of the old poem about the footprints. Where there were two sets of footprints and then one set of footprints, and it was during the one set of footprints that God was carrying them. I am thankful that God goes with me down my path and that He carrys me when I am too weak to make it on my own. My last thought was that each of our paths may be different but for Christians our paths all have the same destination... heaven.

My card uses this weeks scs sketch challenge, and scs ways to use it challenge. If you look at the paper behind the hymn, you will see something new for me. It is the digital paper that I won from last week's WAW sponsor Gail from Shabby Cottage Studio. It was a black and white cream background, but I made it green with my ink spray smash technique. I had so much fun making these coffee filter flowers. I also had fun using a stamp in a different way. I used the icicle stamp from Mark's Finest Papers set called Ice and snow. I turned the icicles upside down and stamped them on the top panel with light green ink. I then ink spray smashed the panel. I think it kinda looks like grass.

Special possession

Do you own something that is really special to you? For my husband it would be his tools. For my boys it would by their gaming systems. For me it is my craft supplies. I would be sad if anything happened to my craft tools or supplies. I try to take really good care of them. Some of my possessions are important to me because of sentimental value, but most of my special possessions were expensive. That made me think of the cost that God spent for me. He gave His only son for me. That is the highest expense. I am encouraged to know that I am God's special possession. I have worth. I like how my senior pastor puts it. "I am not a mistake, I am not an "oops" I am God's child."
I used layers of color - flourish on the background of the scripture. I used Mojo222 sketch. I used the colors for this week's SCS color combo challenge.

Peaceful Nuthatch in the snow

Happy New Year. I am thank for the blessings that God gave me and my family last year. I am looking forward to seeing what He is going to do this coming year.

I love this little bird sitting on this snowcovered fence. I have often noticed the little birds in winter and said a quick thankful prayer that I'm not having to be out in the cold all the time like they are. I'm spoiled. I like my warm house, my warm clothes, my warm bed... There are several scriptures that come to my mind about God caring for the little birds. Psalm 50:11 says "I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine." To me it is a great reminder that I too am God's and He is going to take care of me this New Year.

The little bird is a Mark's Finest Papers set called - Peaceful Nuthatch. The technique lovers challeng at SCS was to make a wet card. My wet "snow" was made using glitter and styrofoam.