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.

I made this card for this week's Card Patterns 116 sketch by Nina Brackett. I also made this for the color combo challenge 324 at SCS. My camera had a hard time capturing the true colors of this card. (Overcast day no sunshine... hate taking photos without natural lighting.) I used Mark's Finest Papers sets... Brick Wall and Daffodil and Anise. I also tried my first french bow on this card. I really struggled with it. I hope practice makes perfect! Have a blessed day!

Three cards- Three challenges

This is the card I made for Monday's Technique Lovers Challenge at SCS. Holly challenged us to make a card using newspaper. I made the roses on this card out of newspaper.

This is the card I made for Tuesday's Color Combination Challenge at SCS. The Daffodil is from the Mark's Finest Papers set called DAFFODIL AND ANISE.

This is the card I made for today's Sketch Challenge at SCS. I used the butterfly and peach paper from the DCWV Mariposa stack. The rust cardstock that I matted with was from my stash. I added ribbon and lace and a buckle. I usually have only one pair of shoes. They are what I wear to work, church, and everyday around the town. I was saddened when the strap that held this decorative buckle broke on my shoe. It was flapping around, so I cut the strap off. I am such a horder. I kept the buckle thinking that someday it would go on a card. Well today was that day. I put some sheer ribbon through it. It took a little planning to get the ribbon ends hidden in the panels.

Birthday Dandelions

When people list of their favorite flowers, dandelions don't usually make the list. I however love them. The bright yellow when they first bloom, to me looks so pretty dotting the nice green lawns. (Just don't tell my husband that!) And who can resist blowing the seeds into the air and watching them be airborn. There is something magical about watching the seeds disperse. I know it makes more dandelions for my husband to have to kill, but I love blowing on them and making a wish. (Really don't tell my husband that!!!) My sons have a leader in their scout troop who is an expert on wild foods. He has given seminars all over the world. I love it when he shares about food you can find in the wild. When he was the science teacher at the high school, he had a plot of land that he grew dandelions on. In the spring he would have the students pick the dandelions and he would prepare food with the dandelions. He also would have a contest to see which child could bring in the tallest dandelion. My daughter found one when she was in her class that had a stem of 20 inches. What I like most about dandelions is seeing the intricacies of God's engineering. Imagine creating a flower that when the wind blows, plants itself. Amazing!!!

This birthday card uses stamps from a set that will be released next week from Mark's Finest Papers. It is called JUST DANDY. I stamped the dandelion and added "Fluff" I took two styrofoam balls and rubbed them together. The broken pieces of styrofoam and glitter combined made the perfect fluff for my card.

Mark's Finest Papers sneak peek

For today's technique lovers challenge at SCS, we were to combine a recent technique challenge, color challenge and sketch challenge. This is what I came up with. I used a set called FLORAL TEA by Mark's Finest Papers. It will be released tomorrow along with 3 other fabulous sets. Make sure you come back tomorrow to see what I created for the Mark's Finest Papers January Blog Hop.

brick wall

I love this brick wall set by Mark's Finest Papers. The brick wall adds such visual texture. I stamped this using the stamping with water technique.

Card for Allison

This is the hardest card I have ever had to make. It is for my sister in law. Her husband died suddenly this morning of a heart attack. We are all still in shock. It is hard to make a card than conveys what I really feel. I feel sad, I feel sorry that she is going through this hard time. So hard to make a card say that. I chose the sentiment because it made me think that death is so sad for us, but for the loved one who has gone to be with the Lord, who is in the Master's hands is happy. It is just our perspective of the same event. My sister in law sent my husband a rather poignant poem last night. He didn't open it then, because he is really bad about opening e-mails that aren't work related. He did read it this morning and it made both of us cry. It was a poem called Slow Dance. According to the e-mail, it was a poem written by a teenager with terminal cancer. Her dying wish... she wanted to remind everyone to live their life to the fullest.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids

on a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erractic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down,

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day

On the fly?

When you ask "How are you?"

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done

do you lie in your bed

with the next hudred chores

running through your head?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short;

The music won't last.

Ever told your child,

"We'll do it tomorrow?"

And in your haste,

not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

to call and say "Hi"?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift...

Thrown away.

Live is not a race.

Do take it slower.

Hear the music

Before the song is over.

Go tell the people that you love that you love them. Be truly thankful for the time God gives us with them. I hope you have a good Thanksgiving Day.

Paper roses

I made these two paper roses cards. The roses were made using a scalloped circle punch. The pink rose card was for the color challenge, and the peach colored roses were for the teapot challenge.

Butterfly Blessings

I don't think I have ever used this color combo, pink, sage, and gray. When I first saw what the colors were, I thought huh???? weird!!!! But after making the card I kinda like how it turned out. It seems that when I step out of my comfort zone, I hesitate at first but like the results.

Sunrise

More playing with my brayer. I used the color challenge on Splitcoast this week.

Ollie ollie oxin free..

OLLIE OLLIE OXIN FREE. Remember playing hide and seek and calling all the players in? This is what my sister and I used to say. I am saying this now so my little froggy will know it is safe to leave his hiding place...

After being promised that no-one is going to eat him, my little froggy came out of hiding. You can see why he hid in the first place, he is so little. He is only 1/4" big.
I just had to make another card for Cindy's teaparty challenge. This flower went togther much faster and easier than the first one. I punched three flowers. I used a 1/4" punch to punch the centers of the flowers. I then cut from one edge of the flowers to the centers and wrapped each flower around my quilled fringe coiled center. I made my lillypad using a 2"circle of green. I punched the little froggy with my frog punch. The water is done with bubble wrap. I frayed the ribbon to add interest. The wavy shape just happens to be the shape of my acryllic block. I just traced around it and cut it out. I used my itty bitty background for the lilly pad andthe base of the card. After making my first card I realized how close it was to the colors for the Splitcoast color challenge. I changed this card to comply with the challenge (as long as my water is a neutral color- well most of the time it is clear that is neutral right?)

Close up of the little froggy and quilled water lilly.

These are the punches I used for the flower and the little froggy.

I wanna go... anywhere but here.

Have you ever wanted to be anywhere but where you are right now? Not just in location, but in circumstances? I know I do. I made this for my brother who is struggling with getting a job. He has been waiting for a long time and had to go for a lie detector test as part of the job screening process. I know today was going to be hard for him, so I made him this card. Isn't this little bear so cute. The colors that I used were from the Splitcoast Color Challenge. The sentiment "I wanna go..." is from a family vacation a long time ago. My brother and sister and I were all getting tired. We had passed a Travel Lodge sign that had their trademark SLEEPYBEAR on it. I don't remember for sure who started it, but before long we were all singing..."I wanna go to Sleepybear. I wanna go to Sleepybear." Eventually we got to a place to stop and spend the night. It wasn't in our timing, but in our Dad's timing becuase he was driving. That made me think that there are times that I want to reach a destination, and I must wait on my Heavenly Father. I'ld like to say that I wait patiently, but I can only say that I am trying to wait patiently for His perfect timing. I hope this encourages my brother.

Fields of poppies

Here are two cards that I made that were inspired by this poppy art print. I drew the poppies and colored them with my prisma colored pencils. I made them for these challenges. Sketch Challenge 237, CAS Challenge 23 and Color Combo Challenge 227. That is a lot for only two cards.