Aleene's Burned Paper Bag Leaves Tutorial

It has been a long time since I did a tutorial. I thought I would share with you how burned paper bag technique looks. I remember doing burned paper bag technique more than 20 years ago. I used a candle to heat the glue then. Now I use my heat gun and it goes a lot quicker and makes less mess.

Start with putting a puddle of Aleene's Tacky Glue, onto the paper bag.

I use a scrap piece of cardstock to smear the glue in a thin layer



I take my heat gun and I heat the glue. It will bubble and pop. I heat it until the glue is transparent.


When it cools it looks like this. It is shiny and has texture. It feels a little like leather.

Using black stazon ink, I stamped the leaf over the layer of dried glue. I used the leaf from Mark's Finest Papers set called AUTUMN GLORY.

To add color to my leaves, I took an acetate report folder and I scribbled with "Fall" colored markers onto the folder.

I dipped my paint brush into water and picked up color from the scribbled markers.

I then painted over the glue. Since I was going to cut the leaves out, I wasn't very careful about painting in the lines. I just put down the color.

This is how the leaves look when the leaves are dry.

I cut the leaves out.

I shaped the cut out leaves by folding the leaf in half lengthwise.

I further shaped the leaf by folding the sides backwards.

Here is the card that I made with these burned paper bag leaves.

Petal card with LOC gold butterfly

The technique lovers challenge at SCS today was to make a petal card. I saw this technique when Beate released it as the Wednesday tutorial. I was hesitant to try it at first because I don't have any circle dies. I ended up using labels four and love how easy this card was to make. I used 2 sided dp. I gold heat embossed my Layers of Color butterfly. The scripture on the inside was Karen's WORDart. I think it still fits the SSIC challenge this week to have wings and a scripture.

Isaiah 40: 29-31

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.




I love this scripture that Chris choose for this week at Stampin' Sisters in Christ. It is one of my favorites. There are so many days that I feel weary. (Mostly because I don't surrender my burdens to Christ, and I try to carry them all myself) I love the promise of these verses. I love to personalize this scripture... I, who hope in the Lord will renew my strength. I will soar on wings like eagles, I will run and not grow weary. I will walk and not be faint.

It is getting closer to eagle season for me. Where I live along the Mississippi river, bald eagles come to fish in the winter. I love to take my camera and try and capture them. These are some of the eagle photos I have taken in past years. The first one was taken at sunrise. The other two were taken in the evening time.

The challenge this week was to make a scripture card with wings. I used this scripture from Karen's Word Art

The butterfly is a Layers of Color butterfly embossed with gold.


The sponsor this week is Our Daily Bread Designs.


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

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Traci Grace

Get your Broom On - Wicked witches- MFP Sept 2011 blog hop

Hello! Welcome to the September 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Autumn Glory, Boo To You, Covered Bridges, Get Your Broom On .For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set:Get Your Broom On? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Get Your Broom On. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Faith
Dawn
Marilynn
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Markie
Carol
Mark’s Finest Papers

I shared a photo a couple of days ago of my daughter with other cast members from this summer's production of The Wiz. As soon as I saw this quote, I knew I was going to use it on a picture frame. My daughter was the wicked witch of the west. She had a wig and fat suit on. The photo I used in the frame is of her and the other two wicked witches. When she was "melting" she ran behind a box and Jojo the middle sized witch ran out and then ran behind the box. Finally they held up the barbie wicked witch. Each time they performed it, this scene got tremendous applause.

Covered Bridges- MFP September 2011- blog hop day 3

Hello! Welcome to the September 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Autumn Glory, Boo To You, Covered Bridges, Get Your Broom On .For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Covered Bridges? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Covered Bridges. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Emily
Nancyruth
Neva
Faith
Dawn
Marilynn
Patricia
Chrissy
Karen
Pam
Joanne
Markie
Carol
Mark’s Finest Papers

I was going for a collage look with this card. I tried using common elements, like the staples, notebook paper, and paper clip and newspaper cliping. I also hand wrote the list on the notebook paper. I listed things I like about Autumn: Football games, marching band, hayrides, cool nights, hot chocolate... I added lace, vellum, and raffia and leaves made using AUTUMN GLORY. I stamped the ticket and covered bridge image using black stazon ink. I watercolored the image and adhered it to the card with photo corners and sewing. I made this card for my good friend Carol. Our kids are in a lot of the same activities. My favorite time of year is when Carol and I can sit by eachother at football games and at marching band competitions. Our schedules are usually so busy, it is nice to just get to sit and visit and watch our kids perform.

Boo to You- MFP September 2011 blog hop day 2

Hello! Welcome to the September 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Autumn Glory. Boo To You, Covered Bridges, and Get Your Broom On.For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

This little guy with a flair for dramatic clothing was stamped using BOO TO YOU. I paper pieced his outfit.

My kids are very active in drama. They are in several productions each year. There is a lady named Daisy who makes the costumes. She really works hard for the kids and does a fantastic job. I am always needing thank you cards for her. That is what I was thinking when I made this card. This photo below shows some of the costuming from the youth production of THE WIZ. My daughter was the wicked witch of the west (Far left in red dress)

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Boo To You? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Boo To You. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Lois
Vicky
Dawn
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Linda
Karen
Patty
Liz
Geri
Lynn
Debbie
Mark’s Finest Papers

Autumn Glory - Mark's Finest Papers Blog Hop day 1

Hello! Welcome to the September 2011 MFP New Releases Blog Hop!

This week's new releases are:Autumn Glory. Boo To You, Covered Bridges, and Get Your Broom On.For your convenience, all these sets are available TODAY at Mark's Finest Papers.

So, do you want to WIN today's Featured Stamp Set: Autumn Glory? (If you don't want to wait to win, you can always purchase the sets right away! We'll substitute a set from NEXT month's release if today's winner has already purchased this set!)

For your chance to win: Comment on the following Design Team members' blogs TODAY before midnight EDT. There will be ONE random winner chosen from the comments on today's Blog Hop blogs. That winner will win Autumn Glory. We will announce the winner's name on tomorrow's MFP blog post.

Lois
Vicky
Dawn
Anne
Peggysue
Connie
Linda
Karen
Patty
Liz
Geri
Lynn
Debbie
Mark’s Finest Papers

This set is so much fun to use. I have lots of samples for you to see.

Autumn Glory combined with Autumn Fun

Rebekkah chose these verses this week.

Mt. 7:7-8 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

The thought that came to me for these verses is a childlike persistance. When my kids were little and were were at the store and they wanted something, they didn't just ASK once. NO... they ASKED and they ASKED until they got what they wanted. When they were looking for their presents around Christmas time, they didn't just look casually, they searched the house top to bottom to find where I had hidden the packages. When they KNOCKED on the locked bathroom door(my only quiet time when they were little), they didn't just KNOCK once and let it go at that, they would stand there KNOCKING until I opened the door. I believe God wants us to have that same persistance when it comes to seeking Him.

The challenge this week was to make a card with a door. My "Door" is more like a gate, but it is what I had. I used the sheet music for "In the Garden" my kids when they were little called it the Minier song. We lived in a very small village in Illinois called Minier. There is a line in the song where it says "and the voice I hear falling on mine ear." It sounded like they were saying the name of our town. So this song has special meaning to me. I just found out recently that a dear sister in Christ from that area, named Bonnie, has breast cancer that has spread. She may be going to see the Lord sooner, rather than later. I wanted to make a special card for her, letting her know I was thinking about her.
When my kids were little and my husband was driving trucks over the road, there were lots of times that I felt lonely and sometimes overwhelmed as the task of raising the kids fell to me. My sister Bonnie helped plan a ladies night out where several of the ladies from our Church showered me with love. One lady, Kathy baby sat my kids, Bonnie, who was a hairstylist, did my hair. Rhonda was my kidnapper and took me to Olive Garden where the rest of the ladies met me for dinner(a total suprise party) and they showered me with gifts. I can't ever begin to express what wonderful friends these ladies are to me. Even though it has been over 6 years since I have seen them in person, I know that the love is still just as strong. God has since blessed me with another group of Christian sisters, who also shower me with love. It is my Stampin' Sisters in Christ. I thank God every day for their friendship.





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

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Traci Grace

Peggysue is this week's Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge hostess. She picked the following words.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 "Make it your aim to live a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to earn your own living, just as we told you before.12 In this way you will win the respect of those who are not believers, and you will not have to depend on anyone for what you need."

What good advice. I struggle with the quiet life. With working full time and raising 4 kids there is always noise and busyness. This afternoon, my daughter and I went to the lake to take some photos. We had fun being together. After we took the photos, we sat on a bench and listened to "NOTHINGNESS" which was really quite a lot. We could hear birds singins, the wing blowing through the trees, the water lapping on the rocks, and in the distance we could hear thunder. I really enjoyed this quiet time. I would encourage everyone to find some quiet time today to go spend it with God.

The challenge this week was - Nothing bright. Use 'quiet' colors in your creation, either pastels, or low key earthtones, soft, muted shades of beige or neutrals.

This is my card. I used WORDart by Karen on my card.

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

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Traci Grace

Something missing... Prayer

1 Corinthians 10:17 – Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

This is the verse that my Stampin' Sister in Christ, Miesje choose for this week.

I love the fall because that is when I start making home baked bread. I love the smell of the bread a it is rising and especially as it comes out of the oven. A lot of ingredients go into making the bread: water, flour, milk, butter, salt, yeast, eggs... too much or too little of the ingredients and you get either a mass of dough or something that resembles a rock.

Jesus said in John 6:48
I am the bread of life.

I love communion. A time when we as believers come together to remember what Christ has done for us. To me it is also a reminder that I am not alone. I have brothers and sisters walking beside me.

The other day I was feeling particularly discouraged. Satan kept telling me that I was all alone. Now we know that Satan is the father of lies, and what he was telling me was a lie, but it started to really feel true. I reached out on facebook asking for prayers, and within minutes, I had Christian friends from all around the world praying for me and lifting my needs before the Father. Some of the problems that I had were still there, but I didn't feel alone anymore. What a blessing to live life with our Christian family. That is the number one reason I love being a part of Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenges. I know that I have family that is praying for me. If there is ever a time that you need prayer, you can leave me a comment and I will definitely pray for you.

Our Sponsor this week is Sweet and Sassy. Go check them out.

Miesje's challenge is a Recipe Challenge - choose at least 3 of the following for one card. (ribbon, button, a swirl, hat pin, brad, charm, popped up image)

My card has ... ribbon, button, charm and popped up image. I thought I would share how I did my popped up flower.


First I stamped the flower three times. On the first flower I crossed out every other petal. I reveresed the crossed out petals on the second flower and on the third flower I colored all the petals in. I cut the flowers out, cutting off the un-colored crossed out petals. I took the handle of a paint brush to curl the petals.


Here are my cut out flowers with their curled petals.



Next I cut small pieces of craft foam.

Really small pieces.

I glued the first one to the bottom flower and then one to the middle flower.

I added glue and stacked the middle flower on the bottom flower.

Finally I glued the top flower on top.

I added a button center.

This is how the card looked when I finished it. I kept looking at it and something just seemed to be missing.

I added a simple tag with the sentiment... I'm praying... Then I knew it was complete.

You should go check out Miesje's devotion at Stampin' Sister in Christ Challenge.

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

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci

I made this card for the color combo challenge at SCS this week. Red, yellow and blue. I had so much fun doing the resist technique, I had to try it some more.

I am blessed to have the opportunity to be the hostess for this week's Stampin' Sisters in Christ Challenge.
One of the songs that I have been listening to lately is by JJ Heller called HAVE MERCY ON ME. There is a line in the song that says… “I’m tired of being afraid…” It made me think about the topic of fear. Last week my daughters and I experienced FEAR as we tried to get a possum out of our garage. I had just gone to bed when I heard a terrifying scream. I jumped out of bed when I heard the scream and went to see what was wrong. My daughters had been going outside to my oldest daughter’s truck. They had opened the door between the garage and the house and turned on the light. There inches away from their feet was a possum that hissed at them. I armed myself with a broom, while my daughters grabbed a stick and a golf club and we went into the garage to make sure our unwanted guest left. When that was done, the adrenaline was rushing through my body and it was hard to fall back to sleep.
What are you afraid of?
Some fears come from our past experiences. When I was little we lived in an apartment that had tarantula spiders that climbed over the doorways and they would drop on you when you opened the door. When I was in high school I had a black widow spider in my hair. I was also bit by a brown recluse spider. When I see spiders, I know in my mind that I am bigger than they are, I am stronger than they are and I can kill them, but I am still afraid of them. Note to self don’t watch the old movie Arachnaphobia.
What happens when little ordinary fears become so big that they become the focus of our lives? Fear in the extreme we call phobias. I looked on the internet at a list of phobias. The list was too long to even count. Some of them sounded kind of funny to me. Neophobia – fear of something new. Koniophobia – fear of dust (if any of you have this fear don’t visit my house) and the one I thought I might try with my family is Mageirocophobia – the fear of cooking. (I can just see it now… I think we will have to go out to eat I have Mageirocophobia!) I am sure to those who suffer from these phobias it is not a laughing matter.
I did a computer search (King James Version) and the phrase “FEAR NOT” was used 68 times.

This is the verse that I picked to share with you today:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind

I can’t even find the words to describe what an awesome gift this is. I often say this verse at night when I am struggling with my fears. It seems like the middle of the night is when Satan like to wage battle, using my fears against me.

There are a few more verses that go along with the one I picked.

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends, all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

My challenge to you this week is to try something that you may have been afraid to do before…a new technique, a new color combo, a new sketch, a new style…


Our sponsor this week is Paper Fashions Etc.

For my card I tried a new technique, (inspired by my sister in Christ, Linda) called resist. I also went with a CAS style.

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

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci

Butterfly garden

I tried my hand at another telescoping card. I made a veritable stamped garden for my butterfly to visit. I used several Mark's Finest Papers sets. I used: Just Dandy, Poppies poppies poppies, Greet the day with Gerber, Butterflies and wisteria, Black Eyed Susans for Encouragement. I love the photo of this little brown and orange butterfly that I took on Sunday. It was the inspiration for the butterfly on this card.

Stacked butterfly

This is the telescoping card I made for the Technique lovers challenge at SCS. I used my two new Mark's Finest Papers sets. BUTTERFLIES AND WISTERIA and BLACK EYED SUSANS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT. I was inspired by this photo that I took yesterday at the park. I hope you enjoy. I used more sheet music for the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge to use music on our cards.

Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge MUSIC

This is the scripture that Teresa picked for this week's Stampin' Sisters in Christ devotion:

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

When reading this scripture. What was interesting to me was that we are encouraged to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I doesn't matter what type of song we sing as much as how we sing them. We need to sing them "with grace in your hearts to the Lord,"

The world is watching us and listening to us. Will they hear songs sung together with harmony or will they hear us each singing a different song at the same time. A game that my kids and I have played before is where we each pick a different song and we all try to outsing eachother. While it is fun for us to do, anyone listening would quickly cover their ears. But there are other times, like when we did the special music at church for Father's day. We sang "Daddy's Hands" and we sang it with close harmonies. (We didn't sound the same, my one daughter is an alto, the other a high soprano, and one boy sings tenor, the other sings alto for now and I sing soprano.) What made it sound good is we were working together.

Have you ever been part of a big group of people singing the same song? Maybe at a concert? There is something powerful about singing together. I get chills when I go to the football games in the fall and all the crowd sings the National anthem. I can only imagine what it is going to be like when we get to heaven and we are singing praises to God with all the saved. I am thankful that I get a taste of what that will be like when I sing praises to God at church during worship.

Teresa's challege was to make a card with a music theme. Make sure you check out Teresa's devotional at Stampin' Sisters in Christ

Our wonderful sponsor is Simon Says Stamp.

I made mine a joy fold card. A group of ladies at my church are forming a weight loss support group. I wanted to make some cards that we can use to encourage eachother. I used my new favorite flower from Mark's Finest Papers set called Black eyed susans for encouragement. The sentiment is from that set as well.

Check out what my

Stampin' Sisters in Christ have created:

Kris Linda Miesje Pegggysue Rebekka Teresa Traci