This Season ...

It's Friday, it's Friday ... woo hoo ! Happy Friday to YOU ! Hope you have a good weekend . Today I am posting my card for this week's Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge which you can find here . Linda Lucas is the hostess for this week and she has chosen ...

Phil. 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 any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things . "

This verse is one of my favorites. There is nothing quite so settling in one's spirit as to know that you are thinking right thoughts and have a confessed and honest heart before the Lord. The card challenge for the week is to make an all white or all cream card in pure tones. I love , love , love the look of white cards ... so clean and just makes whatever has been stamped plus the textures pop right off the card ! So here is my card ... recipe is below .

Thanks so much for stopping by !
Hugs!
-Crystal

Recipe:
Stamp: Stampabilities, verse unknown
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Accessories: Spellbinders Nesties, CB embossing folder, Scor Pal, Copics , Stickles, ribbon, pearls, pop dots

ODBDSLC34 and Greetings !

Hi dear friends ... how are you ? I certainly hope you are all doing great and enjoying gorgeous weather wherever you may be. I do apologize if you have come by often for a peek . When life becomes busy and full , prioritizing has to take place and in my case, although I have been doing quite a bit of stamping , blogging continued to take a back seat. I have missed the challenges and visiting with you and I do promise to post from time to time as well as to come by to gaze on your awesome creations. Our Daily Bread has a great challenge going on which is to use Kraft and black and one other color ... and here, happily is my card for this fun challenge. It's rainy and dark which made it difficult to get a good photo... it does show the shimmer but there is no orangy tone on the ribbon... weird !
Have a wonderful evening ! And thanks so much for stopping by !

Hugs !
-Crystal

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Stamps : ODBD Scripture Series 1
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Antique Linen, Brillance Platinum Planet
Paper: Kraft, black and pumpkin , unknown
Accessories: Spellbinders Maple Leaf dies,CB Mesh folder, grosgrain ribbon, sponge, BG button, jute, pop dots

Popping in to say Hi and a card too !

How are you , dear blogger friends ? It's been quite a while ! What a terrific summer hiatus beginning with my youngest son's graduation and then travel and all the other wonderful things that summer brings. If we could only have a few more hours in a day to do it all. Blogging took a back seat but not card making so here is one of the many I made this summer.

I used an old sketch from Verve , I believe, and really like how it turned out. Some dp from Basic Grey's Max and Whiskers ,a corner rounder on the edges , Verve Plain Jane, some stitching, ribbon , button and cording and done. Of course, isn't that verse soothing and a great reminder of our ultimate Help ?

I look forward to popping in occasionally and also to come peek at your blogs. I just know I'm in for some real mouth- dropping beauties ! Stop by and say " Hi" and let me know how you've been .

Hugs !

SNTODBD10 & SSCC30 Trust in the Lord

Hi Friends !



This week's Stamping in Time challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs is a sketch challenge ! I love a good sketch and this one is a real good one, don't you think ? You can find all the info at ODBD here . This is also for this week's Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge which is to use sponging or distressing.

I am knee deep in grad prep and need a bunch of graduation cards too so this may be the first of a few you see here. Most of my cards need to have a masculine feel so I will be stretched challenge -wise !



I am using dp from Basic Grey's Max and Whiskers pack. I have distressed the brown dp which is layered over mustard dp. The sentiment is from Scripture Collection ... such a wonderful verse... it's stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa. I have used a thin rope-like border to add interest to the top and bottom of the Scripture panel. The panel and it's mat was cut out and embossed with a Curvy Rectangle from Spellbinders. Buttons are from Basic Grey and twine is from May Arts. All the edges have been distressed slightly. Pretty quick and easy and I do need quite a few more of "quick and easy" !

Thanks so much for stopping by ! I so appreciate that you would !

Hugs !

Missing you !

Hi Friends:

How ARE you? I have missed stopping in to visit .

Been heavily involved with graduation preparations ... taken quite alot more time than anticipated. On top of that, we have had rain, rain, rain here in Central OH and there springs a leak right over my stamping table. Big boo hoo ! But hey, after tomorrow , it looks like the rain will move out for a good while, things will dry out and I WILL happily be back in my therapy room ! I am SO ready to go !

I'll be squeezing in some peeks to your blogs to view your gorgeous creations so be seeing you real soon.

Big hugs !

MMSC#53 Sweet Wishes for your Birthday

How are you , friends ? I surely hope doing well .

My card today is for this week's Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge which you can find here .

I had a real senior moment trying to remember which this sketch was while uploading so had to go hunting for it online... ever have one of those? Duh ... Well, onto my card ...

I am using Cosmo Cricket's "Garden Variety"... love that paper ! I've stitched along the right side of the green dp layer. The sentiment is computer generated. The strawberry stamp is a very old one by Rubber Stampede... was stamped twice on Neenah white and colored with Copics R27 and R29. I used a Nestie to act as a template to Copic "frame" the edges with E00. The lace border is a Martha Stewart punch, ribbons and ric rac from JoAnn's and gems from Michaels. A fun challenge !

Enjoy your day ... hopefully with a little stampin' worked in !

Hugs !

Great is Your Faithfulness SC278

Wanted to post this week's Sketch Challenge before the day ends and a new sketch pops up over on Split Coast. ( Where does the time go ?!)

I think the photo is pretty self explanatory but if any questions, email me.

I'm using some of my new Graphic 45 papers , Our Daily Bread Scripture , Spellbinders Nesties 12, Memento Rich Cocoa, Distress Ink in Antique Linen, ribbon, gemstones , few pop dots and that's it !

Thanks so much for visiting ! I'm catching up on visiting your blogs and enjoying it immensely!

Hugs !

Unlock Your Future

Hope you all had a delightful Mother's Day weekend and Happy Monday !

I'm posting a card this evening for this week's Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge which is to use brown, blue and white as well as Our Daily Bread Designs challenge which is to make a graduation card. The image uses the new graduation set from Flourishes. The image is stamped with brown Chalk ink and cut out with the new Labels Twelve Nesties. I have added some stitching , ric rac , ribbon and buttons . DP is by Bo Bunny.

Have lots of new goodies from my recent trip stamp shopping ! There's lots more fun to be had ( woo hoo ) which means I'll be back with another post very soon.

Have a great evening !

Hugs !

Hugs and Smiles CPS165

Happy Saturday All !

This will be a very quick post as I'm out the door to do some big time stamp shopping in another city! Woo Hoo !!
My card is for this week's Card Positioning Systems sketch. The dp is by Bo Bunny. It's so vibrant IRL ... it's cloudy here so couldn't get a really good photo. I am using this cutie from Stamping Bella and she is colored up with Copics and " bella-ished" with gemstones. Some stitching and more gemstones and done ! Any questions, of course, you can email me... be happy to answer 'em.

Have a super Saturday AND all you mom's out there... may your Mother's Day be blessed in every way !

Hugs !

Birthday Wishes

Stampers Dream has a terrific sketch challenge this week . The only thing is that you must use Just Rite stamps for your image. Now I confess, I only have one Just Rite and it will not work for this sketch so I don't qualify to link my card up BUT I had to play for fun.

I am using the new Basic Grey " Max and Whiskers" dp... this pack is totally FUN ! My image is a stamp from a place called Double D in MN and I don't even know if they still exist. The image was colored with Copics, cut out and embossed with an oval Nestie . Some zig zag stitching to the bottom and some silver metal dots and that is all there is to it ! What do you think?

The month of May is always crazy busy at my house and this one is no exception with graduation preparation. I will, however, be back very soon with another post. Thanks for visiting !

Hugs !

Lift Up My Eyes for Mojo & SSCC

How are you, friends, this fine Monday? Hope your weekend was "just the way you like 'em".

This card is made with those wonderful new Basic Grey dp's called " Cappella". Oh my... so yummy! My Scripture verse is from Verve and was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa onto the main panel. The sentiment is also from Verve as is the butterfly. I used four co-ordinating dp's from this pack to make the left column, have stitched around the card , added ribbon and buttons and twine.

This is for two challenges this week : Mojo Monday sketch which you can find here . Isn't this a great sketch ! And also for Stampin Sisters in Christ which is to use stitching or knitting .

Looking forward to hopping around to see your wonderful creations ! Thanks for hopping over here ! Hugs !

Wonderful Mother + challenges

It's Friday... yeah... and a beautiful one ,at that, here in Ohio ! It's been another crazy busy week so have had very limited time in the craft room .

I wanted to post the card I made for my dear MIL whom I adore. Since she lives in California, it had to be flat and clean and simple so here it is . I'm also including this is SSCC and ODBD challenges this week .

I have used dp from Basic Grey's "Kioshi" pack... I wanted that bouquet of flowers to be the focal point of the card. I have used Liquid Pearls and Stardust Stickles on the flowers and sadly my poor photo doesn't show the sparkle hardly at all ... but IRL it is there so imagine a little , will you ! :)
The sentiment is from Stampin Up and was stamped , colored in with a light Copic and cut out with a Labels Six nestie. Small flat gemstones and ribbon and a small bow and OH , yes ... do you see the STITCHING ??? That was made with my new Janome Sew Mini from hubby...oh, what a keeper ! I still have lots of practicing to do since I am NOT a sew-er ... but I do love the look ! And there you have it !

I'm off to garden and then some more crafting so I do hope to have another post for you in the next day or so. Have a great Friday wherever you are !

Hugs !

Toad-ily Thankful ... I am !

Wow, friends ... I can NOT believe Friday is already here ! It's been an incredibly busy week and there's more to follow so forgive me for not posting more regularly.

My card today is using this cutie from Penny Black called " Viva Diva" . I am not a frog loving gal after a very slimy experience in Hong Kong many years ago BUT I do love this image. I've colored " him" up with Copics as well as around his body. He's cut out and embossed with a circle Nestie, matted with a Kraft pinking circle Nestie and matted again with a black circle Nestie. The dp is by Bo Bunny , twill and button from JoAnn's and tiny prima's added with a dot of Stickles.

I'll be entering this in the Stampin Sisters in Christ challenge this week which is to use flowers.

This card goes out to a dear friend who spoiled me " terribly" for my birthday ! Yep, tomorrow is the day and I will be all of " 29 " ... well , ummm, you can multiply that by ... I'm looking forward to having my college boys home , visiting and eating some sumptious meals together.

Thanks so much for stopping by ! Let me know you've been here ... Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll be back next week with another post.

BIG hugs !

Tackling a Multitude !

Hi Friends !

I'm holed up in the craft room this
afternoon trying to catch up with a huge number of card needs including those for friends. I don't usually post my Clean and Simple cards that go out pretty frequently but thought I would post a picture of some I have done for a friend. ( Don't miss the glass of lemon tea on the right. Lots of tea keeps a fast and furious stamper hydrated ! ) LOL!

Here's a close up view of a couple of the sympathy cards. This stamp is by Outlines and paper is by K&C. I have used a Martha Stewart butterfly punch and lots of Stickles.

This stamp is by Paper Inspirations and DP is also by K&C. I have used the curvy rectangle by Spellbinders for the sentiment. Tiny pearls were added to the middle right of the sentiment. As you can see , all very simple, easy and clean.

Still lots of catching up to do so I'm back to the stamp room. I'll be back very soon with a challenge post.

Have a super Monday ! Big hugs !

SSCC#34 Some Bright Encouragement

Hi Friends !

It's Friday... woo hoo ... hope you have a nice weekend planned , maybe with some crafting squeezed in ?!

I have a card for you today and it's for this week's challenge at SSCC. I love a good challenge and this is one of those ! This week's Scripture is found in Phil 4:4-7 and the challenge is to make a card or project about prayer and / or peace. Good one, yes ? I know I always need a good supply of these on hand.

My card is a little on the bright side but then I wanted it to be uplifting and encouraging both. I'll leave the recipe below. The challenge ends tomorrow so if you haven't played, you still have a bit of time.

Have a delightful Friday and weekend. I'll be back Monday with another post. Thanks so much for popping in ...

Hugs !

Recipe:
stamp: Our Daily Bread Scripture Collection
paper: Barely Banana, K&C
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Distress Ink in Antique Linen
Accessories: Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Fruit Punch Stickles, orange gemstones, orange satin ribbon, Martha Stewart border punch, Spellbinders Nestie die, sponge, pop dots

SNTODBD7 My Soul Finds Rest

Hi All...

My card is for this week's challenge at Our Daily Bread which is to use tearing or faux tearing.
My Scripture is from the new Scripture Collection 4 and one of my all time favorites. I am also using the new Vine frame. I verse is stamped on Neenah cream and then heavily sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The dp is from Graphic 45 and has been sponged also with Distress Ink. I have layered everything up, added a two toned satin ribbon and a coordinating button and slightly bent the edges of the middle layer for a distressed look and torn look. Easy Peasy ! So what do you think? The challenge deadline is tonight so hop on over and play if you haven't yet.

Have a beautiful Spring day everyone. Hugs !

ODBDSLC9 Thanks ...

Hey, dear friends ... happy Monday !

My card today is for this week's Shining the Light challenge. It's a sketch challenge which you can check out here . Now I love Webster's Pages. Their papers are beautiful nature depictions ... birds, flowers , the like ... and this dp was no exception. My main image was stamped with Our Daily Bread's " Grow in Grace" flower. It's kind of hard to see since the image is so small. I have added the sentiment from SU! and then added golden yellow Smooch to the center of the flower images. Everything else was layered up per the sketch and ribbon and gemstones added for the finishing touch. So what do you think?

Have a good evening, everyone! Thanks again for your sweet comments! They truly make me smile.

Hugs !

CPS161 A Teeny, Tiny Wish...

Oh my goodness ... I made this card for this week's Card Positioning System and just now discovered the deadline is at 8:00 ... exactly 15 minutes to go ... so here I am sticking this up just under the wire !

Love this sketch ! The base and sentiment base is Neenah cream, dp is Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl. The sentiment is by Hero Arts. Buttons round it out. I punched some dp to center on the buttons on the left. Hope the photo explains everything else but if you have any questions , just email me.

Thanks so much for stopping by . I'll be back on Monday with another post .

Hugs !

A " Twinchie" From the Garden !

It's Friday, woo hoo ! It's also our 23rd wedding anniversary this weekend and I am so looking forward to a date night and dinner at one of our fav restaurants!

Today's card is for Flourishes Release Week Challenge . Yeah, new stamps coming again at Flourishes ! I think I need to get a job ! The challenge is to make a 2" x 2" " twinchie" ... which should be the focal image of your card. I have used one of the stamps from Flourishes " From the Garden" set , colored it up with Copics and paper- pieced the gloves with dp from Basic Grey's "Green at Heart" . The image was cut out and embossed with a square Nestie and then matted up with some textured Bazzill brown. Jute was wrapped around the corner of the image and secured. The sentiment is also from that set and was stamped with Memento Rich Cocoa. Some twine tied into a bow and buttons finish off the look .

Have a great weekend, friends ! If you come by to visit , I'd love to hear from you ! Hugs!

Do Not Be Anxious ... Triple Challenges

Ahh, nothing like an escape to the stamping room at the end of a busy day !

My card is for three challenges : CAS#61 which is for the sentiment to be the main image, ODBD which is to use faux stitching and Card Patterns Sketch#58 .

The DP is from the new Basic Grey " Green at Heart " paper pack. The "sentiment" is from Our Daily Bread Designs new Scripture Collection 4. Border punch is from Martha Stewart. The image was cut out and embossed with a Labels 4 Nestie. Faux stitching was with an Inkessentials pen. I don't own a working sewing machine so no question this is faux ! I certainly hope to remedy that in the future . Oh, the choices out there ! ( Any recommendations for a good sewing machine for stitching on cards is greatly appreciated ! ) Clear gemstones and satin ribbon and a butterfly charm finish it off.

Have a relaxing evening ! Hugs to you all !