K & Co Theater

Here is another card I made using the 

Kellerkurtz & Company Paper Pack

This card was for someone who loves the theater so the paper was a perfect fit.

There were several images of programs and play scripts. I thought Alice in Wonderland was best for this card so I was sure to include it.

The roses and seam binding were colored with a mixture of

TH Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade,  and LSG Marigold Yellow Orange.

K & Co Corset

Here is a card I made a while back using this

Kellerkurtz & Company Paper Pack

The corset was so pretty that I just had to use it on a card.

It and the sewing notions were on a 12 by 12 piece of paper that was too large just to cut and use on the card front as they were. I fussy cut the notions so they all fit.

I added some of my handmade paper roses and hand dyed seam binding colored with

LSG Alpine Ice Rose mixed with a little TH distress stain in Dried Marigold.

The final little touch was a wooden embellishment from Prima's Stationer;s Desk collection.

All supplies can be found at Scrapadabadoo.

Secret Garden Card

Hello My wonderful craft friends.
I made this card months ago but forgot to post it. Better late than never. LOL

I used Graphic 45 papers from The Secrete Garden that I have been hoarding for a while.
(I know it is silly to hang on to the pretty papers, but I also know I am not the only one who does it. LOL)
I made some handmade paper roses using Tattered Rose and touches of Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks.
Since it was Secret Garden paper I though a key charm was the perfect edition.

Take care.

Lindy's Stamp Gang March Color Challenge

I have been having fun playing with my Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays and embossing powders. I made a project for the March Color Challenge. 

You can head over to the Lindy's Stamp Gang Blog to check it out.

The Lindy's shimmery goodness does not show up well in the pictures, but it really wows in person. 

 The idea started out as a card but transformed into a luminary using cardstock, chipboard, vellum, and of course LSG products.

Here you can see the different colors created when the battery operated tea light alternates hues. So pretty!

This project sort of took on a life of it's own. I added more and more as I went. It was fun though. I made an arched window cut file and used my own bird and flower cut files. The base is chipboard covered in white cardstock then sprayed with  I'm Late, I'm Late Slate  then spritzed with Silent Night Silver. I used a Crafter's Workshop brick stencil and applied Golden Light Modeling Paste. When the paste was dry, I brushed the Slate and Silver on the bricks with a water brush. A little watered down  Midnight Rendezvous Raven allowed me to add some shadows. I added patches of Silver Moon Turquoise embossing powder for a little more glam and depth.

I made REALLY SMALL handmade Regal Roses from white cardstock sprayed with
Alpine Ice Rose and Hibiscus Rose

The leaves and vines were also cut from white cardstock and colored with 
Green with Envy Green spray. The tiny vine and tendrils were made with cloth covered florist wire that I stained with Green with Envy Green. That cute little birdie looks great in Bachelor Button Blue.

The stained glass window is vellum sprayed with the Bachelor Button Blue, Alpine Ice Rose, Hibiscus Rose, and I'm Late, I'm Late Slate.

On the inside, I sprayed the brick stencil with the slate and laid the stencil on top like a type of stamp.

You can check out the March entries and join in on the April challenge over at the  
Lindy's Stamp Gang Blog


Lindy's Stamp Gang products used:

Sprays

Alpine Ice Rose
Hibiscus Rose
Bachelor Button Blue
Green with Envy Green
I'm Late, I'm Late Slate
Silent Night Silver
Midnight Rendezvous Raven

Embossing powder

Silver Moon Turquoise

Sympathy

 “When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, nor will the flame scorch you.” (Isaiah 43:2).

This verse describes what I have been going through the last couple of weeks. I am heartbroken and yet I feel God's peace sustaining me in a way that is almost tangible  It is still difficult but yet I am not in despair. 

Huge THANKS to everyone who has commented. I truly appreciate it!

I made this card a several weeks ago for a friend who lost a loved one. It seemed fitting somehow to show it now.

Same Card Designs, Different Colors

Well, I know I show these cards design a lot. I just liked the color combo's on these and the bling. 

Thanks for indulging me one more time with the same designs.

More Grace

Hello my crafty friends. Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. I REALLY appreciate them!

I have a special project to share today. 
It is not just that I finally got up the courage to make something with the shadow box that I purchased over a year ago...(I know I am not the only one who has ever kept craft supplies for a while. LOL) It is a special project because of the person I was giving it too and the wonderful poem that I used in the box.

It is a gift for my pastor's wife who has been fighting cancer for a few years now. She has been through some really difficult physical bouts and is always a wonderful example of how to completely trust in God. Every time she has to start a different treatment she does not look at it as a hardship on her but as an opportunity to share the love of God with all the people she will come in contact with in the hospital and doctor's office. 

Her example has helped me to keep trusting God to take care of my in my own physically painful situation. It reminds me of a poem by Annie Johnson Flint.

He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;

To added affliction He addeth His mercy;

To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,

Our Father's full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,

Our God ever yearns His resources to share;

Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;

The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure.

His pow'r has no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

Annie Johnson Flint

Annie had a very rough childhood, was orphaned by her parents and then by her adoptive parents, and then became an invalid in her early 20's. Any one of these things would have been difficult to deal with. All of these situations together can be overwhelming. Yet to read her poems and hymns are filled with marvel at the grace and goodness of God. So inspiring!

You can read more about Annie Johnson Flint and her poems at this link.

I also made card to go with the shadowbox. Yes, it is another center step card. LOL This one is a little different because I took some of the gilded elements and used them as embellishments. (papers are from Recollections Love Letters)
(Hope you are not tired of these cards yet. LOL)  

Pink and Gray Center Step Card

I started making a Mother's Day card. I carefully selected a beautiful Prima patterned paper, Cypress Rose from the Tea Thyme collection. Ironically, the paper was a 12 by 12 and by the time I got through cutting and embellishing, you can not see much of the paper. LOL

Here is the card though.

Yes, I know I have made several cards that are this same style, but when the papers and colors are different, they look different to me. Besides, I like the style. LOL

Believe it or not, besides the top layer of patterned paper, all the other papers started as white cardstock and were colored with TH Distress Inks. I inked the card base with Black Soot then stamped over it with a script background stamp in Pumice Stone. Next I used Victorian Velvet with a little Worn Lipstick for the mat.The handmade Regal roses were made from white cardstock that was inked with those same 2 pink colors. The leaves were inked with Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, and Forest Moss.

You can see a little portion of some Recollections bling and a bow made from white seam binding and Worn Lipstick Distress Stain.

Here is a shot of the back so you can see a little of that beautiful Prima paper I started with.

I did put a lot of extra details in this card that may not be very noticeable. Then again it is a Mother's Day card so a little extra love should go into making it. :)

Flowers for me

Ironically as many paper roses as I make, I only have one project in my craft area that has my roses on it. My "Paper Compulsions" blog sign at the top of my header. I have given the rest away. So I decided to make a project just for me. Something to inspire me.

I made a tag using my Rounded Corners Tag cut file. Cut 2 of Penny Duncan's Swirly Vines. It is hard to tell but the vines meet in the middle under the large rose. I added roses that I handmade from my Regal Roses and inked them with Worn Lipstick. I 
made cut files for the "faith, hope, & love". (reference to 1 Corinthians 13:13)
I glittered the words to add a little sparkle.


You can download the tag and caption files here.


Oh, I forgot to mention that I STAMPED the background. Yes, I actually stamped it myself and liked the finished project. LOL. Then I inked the tag making the bottom darker than the top.


I finished the tag off with seam binding that I stained with TH Distress Stains. Chipped Sapphire and Worn Lipstick. If you look really close you can see that the pink ribbon is a little darker on one side for a variegated look. I wet the seam binding first then applied the stain on one side and let the color bleed over. So cool in person.


I am entering this tag in Die Cuttin' Divas flower challenge.

Rose box

My friend Christel at Scrappin' Sista has a swap every month. I have participated in several of them in the past, but took a break for a few months because of the invitations I have been working on. Well, this month's challenge was to make three handmade flowers and an altered box. That was right up my ally so it was a perfect time for me to jump back in...

made 3 open roses that I cut from white cardstock and inked with Victorian Velvet and Worn Lipstick Distress inks. The leaves were inked in Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, and Evergreen Bough (Winter seasonal). I made several little yellow flowers too but they just did not go very well with the rest of it by the time I was done so I will save them for another project. I opted for several pearls in various sizes to finish it off.

I used a paper doily on top and one of my shell borders cut files on the sides.

I felt like that was the perfect little touch.


My swap partner and I have very similar tastes so I feel like she will really like it.
I had a lot of fun making it and will probably make one for myself. (My DH bought 2 paper mache boxes when he went to the store for me. He knows me so well... LOL...He's a keeper :)


Hop on over to Scrappin' Sista and look for the "SWAPS" tab under her header to get more info and join in on May's swap.

New Year at Paper Cutz

Well this is a new year so I wanted to make my sister a desk calendar to look at while she is at work. She already has several of my cards on her desk. I thought this would be a perfect addition.


Since the challenge this week at Paper Cutz is about the new year, this calendar fits right in.

Purple is her favorite color. I have had those crystals for over a year now and finally decided to stop hoarding them and use them on a project. LOL My sister will love them as much as I did.


Each month is on a little card that fits in little slits at the top and bottom.

Look! Look! I even stamped!!!

There is a little holder on the back to keep the other monthly cards.

(Yep, I stamped there too...I was on a roll :)


I added an easel to the back after I took this picture.


Well, I know she will love it and think of me every time she looks at it. :)


Join us at Paper Cutz this week for the New Year challenge.




I also wanted to remind you about the blog hop coming up.

Cross Box with roses

I made a cross shaped box for a friend.

The box it self is not pretty. It is sort of plain.

I added handmade roses & leaves, ribbon, and rhinestones to make it have more beauty.

I thought that was very symbolic of life.

To picture an old weathered wooden cross is not that pretty on it's own.

In Jesus's day, it would have been a symbol of corporate punishment. Similar to an electric chair, it was what the Romans used to put "criminals" to death.

When we talk about the "beauty of the cross", we refer to the beauty that Christ added.

His loving, self-less sacrifice to die for us. Especially since He had done nothing wrong.

By His death, burial, and resurrection paid the price for our sins.

When I look at a cross, I don't just see two perpendicular chunks of wood.

I see the love of God demonstrated by Christ's sacrifice.

That make it a thing of true beauty.

I used Penny's rose cut files for this project.

Refer to this post for a few more details.

I did something different with the colors this time. (Although it is hard to tell in this picture)

I cut the roses from a dark red cardstock then used Barn Red & Frayed Burlap distress inks to color the edges.  It is beautiful in person ;)

The leaves were cut from dark green and inked with Forest Moss distress ink.

    

Here are the

Cut files for Cross Box

The rose files are from Penny Duncan Creations

the leaves are mine and can be downloaded here.

just leaves

I also added ribbon to the sides of the box lid. I used Zots to hold the transparent ribbon in place then added red rhinestones on top of the Zots to hide them.

Hope you enjoyed this project and post.
Even more, I hope you see the true "beauty" in the cross.

Purple roses

If you have followed my blog for a while, you might have noticed that one idea usually leads me to the next idea. It is just the way my mind works.

(If only I had time to craft all the ideas I come up with :)

Anyway...this is where the red, white, and black card posted yesterday led me...

This beautiful patterned paper is actually cream and black.

I was thinking that purple would be a great color to pair with it.

Although, once I added the purple roses and green leaves the colors looked a little Halloweenish to me...LOL

Here are a close up of the roses.

I used Penny Duncan's rose cut file for this one. (You can find the files on Penny's site along with a tutorial. Go to the flower tutorial tab under her header and scroll down to the roses)

I cut 3 roses in a large size then cut one medium and one small.

For the large roses I use all 5 of the petal shapes. For the medium rose, I only use 4 petal shapes. For the next two small rose buds, I use 3 petals for one and 2 petals for the next. 

I add my own leaves and calyx.

Enjoy!

I am adding this to Crafting Misfit's cool new Show and Tell link up party.