Vintage Christmas

Hello, sweet friends, and I trust that you have had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. 

It's the 25th of the month (just three months until Christmas), and I am playing with the newly remixed digital image from Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley called Glittering Glass Santa. Here's what Marcy shared, "The main image is a sweet Santa inspired by the antique German glass ornaments we always had on our tree growing up, hanging from a berry-dotted tree branch."

For my card, I decided to go simple and used GIMP to remove the backgrounds of both images (something I do automatically when I get my digis so I can "nestle" them up close to each other). I dragged in both the main image and the sweet sentiment (using Microsoft Word), resized them, and arranged them the way I wanted. 

After coloring, I ended up using a stitched rectangle die and sponged some Antique Linen distress ink around the border while it was still in the die. Then I matted it with a deep red card stock, used some retired designer paper and matted that, and then added some red jute around the base. I used some glitter on the branches for sparkle (a suggestion by my dear husband...he often has some great creative ideas...and we often giggle as to whether to pierce or not!), and then I actually used some sequins - my first card with them. Yay! I've had sequins and just never seem to use them or feel they "fit" on my cards. They remind me of snowflakes, something I hope we never see again...yes, we have adapted quite well in South Florida after more than 25 years! But I do love seeing the sparkle of freshly fallen snow...on television or in photos...hehe! 

I remember as a child our beautiful Christmas trees. My mom was the "boss" of the tree and its decorations, and it gave her great joy. She carefully unwrapped each ornament, and we got to hang them (when we got old enough). And when we took down our tree, she took great care in wrapping each ornament for the next year. What precious memories that I cherish (and now I take the same care of our ornaments, some of which are from my mom). We also had a nativity scene, and Jesus was always the center of our Christmas celebrations. I praise God that because Christ came, He has overcome the world and we can have true peace.

These things I have spoken to you,
that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation;
but be of good cheer,
I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

Now it's time to visit the Power Poppy blog and see what Marcella has to share with us and then hop on over to my teammates from there for a fun blog hop:

Allison Cope
Cheryl Scrivens <me>
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Tosha Leyendekker

Marcella Hawley on the Poppy Blog

Be sure to visit Power Poppy to get this new digital release to use today. While you are there, check out the entire digital collection! 

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought or question. I am always happy to answer questions, so don't hesitate to email me. (I am entering this in this week's Word Art Wednesday challenge.)

I wonder whether you have a special memory about Christmas. It's such a wonderful time.

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends! Have I told you lately how much you bless me?

Blessings,

Stamps:  Glittering Glass Santa (Power Poppy) 

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Cherry Cobbler (SU), Holly Jolly Designer Series (SU), White (PTI) 

Ink: Antique Linen distress ink (Ranger)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Stitched Rectangles dies (Simon Says Stamps), red twine (May Arts), Perfect Layers tool, Diamond Stickles, sequins (Verve), Diamond Glaze adhesive, 3M dimensional tape, red tape

Techniques: Digital images using Microsoft Word and GIMP, sponging

Card Size:  A-2
Copics used:  Santa's suit - R20, R22, R27, R39, R85; Santa's face - E000, E00, R000, R30, E81; Santa's mittens - E70, E71, E74; Santa's tree - G20, G21, G14; Tree bough - G20, G21, G82, YG67; Tree branch - E34; Tree berries - R20, R22, R27, R29; Small berries - R22, 0, Ornament fixture - Y28

Simply Sweet Flowers

Hello, sweet friends, and I hope you are having a wonderful Lord's Day. After church this morning, I decided to try this week's Featured Stamper challenge on Splitcoaststampers. 

Sundays are a day of rest, and I find coloring so relaxing. And I am working at getting more cards mailed - yes, written, put into an envelope, and mailed! 

Flowers always make a nice card for friends, so I used this image of a Mason jar with wild flowers. I colored it, sponged around the oval, pierced it, and matted it with a scalloped die. Following the layout of our Featured Stamper Linda's card, I matted a piece of designer paper with a small scalloped edge at the bottom. I used some printed ribbon like she did, and then I stamped the image using my MISTI (oh, do I love that new tool). I actually stamped it twice to get a nice, sharp image. The bow is actually tied and attached to the ribbon across the card (using one-side ribbon is a challenge). So now it's ready to send to a friend. 

This week I read a wonderful post by a dear blogging friend who lives in South Africa, and we have become good friends. Kelly-Anne shared some "Thoughts on Letter Writing," and I hope you might visit and read it. She said, "It is delightful to discover a handwritten letter in the mailbox in amongst bills and such, and just imagine the smile your sweet note will put on another's face." How precious!

When I receive a card or letter from a dear friend, I actually love to touch it and be reminded that it was touched by them and written by hand. To me, it's a piece of "love" from my friend, and I can read it over and over again. Friends are such precious gifts from God! 

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

I trust you will be encouraged to take a few moments this week and write a handwritten note to a friend. We may never know how much it will mean to them, and we share the love of Christ as well. May we bring some sunshine into a special friend's life this week.

A friend loves at all times.

Proverbs 17:17

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought or question, and I hope you have a wonderful week!  (I am entering this week's Word Art Wednesday challenge and the Simon Says: Die Crazy challenge where I used two dies.)

Blessings,

Stamps:  Go Wild,  Simply Camellias (Power Poppy) 

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), White (PTI), Midnight Muse (SU), Brioche (Memory Box)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Black (Versafine), Barely Banana and Midnight Muse (SU)
Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Ovals and Scalloped Ovals dies (Spellbinders), Border Duo 2 die (Impression Obsession), MISTI, Perfect Layers tool, piercing tool, corner rounder punch (EK Success), ribbon (American Crafts), clear adhesive foam pads (Kool Tak), nymo thread, glue dots, red tape

Techniques: Sponging, paper-piercing

Card Size:  A-2

Olive and Oak

Hello, dear friends. School has begun, and I've heard that up north some of the leaves are starting to change - hard for me to remember those days.

Well, it's the 15th of the month and time for a brand new Instant Garden digital image from Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley called Olive and Oak. It's a beautiful image with an encouraging sentiment.

It's been more than 25 years since we've seen fall, so I had to search for some inspiration and decided to make my oak leaves orange (and also discovered that the veins are the last part of the leaf to change color). And I found some ideas for olives (all sorts of olives in various colors).

Using GIMP, I removed the backgrounds and "recolored" the image and sentiment from black to brown. Then in Microsoft Word I dragged in the focal image, resized it, and then dragged in my sentiment. However, I decided to split the sentiment to "nest" it around the image. So I made a copy of the sentiment in Word and cropped each one (cropping off the bottom of one and the top of the other), and then I moved them. 

This is my first (feeble) attempt at no-line coloring, and it was a challenge (for me anyway). But we have to start somewhere, right (half smiling)? After coloring, I added a narrow mat and used the out-of-the-box technique again. And of course I thought piercing added some interest. I used a striped embossing folder to give the background some texture and mounted it on the soft brown card base. I popped the focal image with dimensional tape...and was done.

Since this month's Poppy Power challenge is "Gifts from the Heart," I decided to make a gift set of cards for our middle son who is a pastor. Unlike so many people today, he actually likes to hand write notes (and prints beautifully). I made the focal image brown to match my card stock, dragged it into Word, copied and positioned four of them, and printed a sheet. I die cut them and matted them, and then I adhered each one to a square card base. I will use various sentiments, but for this first card I used my MISTI and a sentiment from So Grateful. I will see what other sentiments will work and probably tie them together with some jute or perhaps put them in a clear gift box. I may even try Allison Cope's great tutorial for coloring in sepia tones. So how's that for easy to make some quick Thanksgiving cards too, eh? So many ways to use digis!

Now it's time to visit the rest of the Instant Gardeners and also visit with Marcy...I always love reading how she was inspired! Be sure to visit Power Poppy to get this new digital release to use today. While you are there, check out the entire digital collection...it keeps growing! 

Jennifer Dove
Broni Holcombe
Cheryl Scrivens <me>
Rhea Weigand
Debbie Olson

Marcella Hawley

I love how Marcy has used the olive as a symbol of peace and the oak as a symbol of strength. It makes a beautiful image and perfect with the encouraging sentiment. God made the oak tree to be strong, and I am so thankful that He is my strength and peace in every situation that comes into my life. There is no greater peace than knowing He has me in the palm of His hand.

God is my strength and refuge,
a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought or question. I am always happy to answer questions, so don't hesitate to email me. I am entering this card for this week's challenge at Word Art Wednesday, and it also works for today's Color Challenge at Splitcoaststampers.

I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week!

Blessings,

Card One: 
Stamps:  Olive and Oak (Power Poppy) 

Paper: Classic White (Neenah), Soft Suede (SU)

Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Squares dies (Spellbinders), Perfect Layers, Stripes embossing folder (Darice), piercing tool, 3M dimensional tape

Techniques: Digital images using Microsoft Word and GIMP, out-of-the-box technique

Card Size:  4¾”

Card Two: 
Stamps:  Olive and Oak, So Grateful (Power Poppy) 

Paper: Classic White (Neenah), Soft Suede (SU), Vintage Cream (PTI) 

Ink:  Chocolate Chip (SU)
Tools/Accessories: Grand Squares dies (Spellbinders), Perfect Layers, MISTI

Techniques: Digital images using Microsoft Word and GIMP

Card Size:  4½”

Climbing Clematis

Hello, sweet friends, and what a week it's been for me. I celebrated my birthday on Wednesday, and it was a glorious day...week actually! I am still receiving cards and birthday wishes - and I feel so blessed by family and friends...and so thankful! God is so gracious!

It's the 5th of the month, and I am playing with the newly remixed digital image from Power Poppy by Marcella Hawley called Climbing Clematis. Clematis is a flowering vine that is able to scramble up walls, fences, and buildings...and even provide ground cover. This digi comes with a fitting sentiment.

I love Marcy's images and take great delight in looking for ideas when I color. I chose a bright pink for my clematis, but just wait until you search for clematis to see all the amazing colors - wow!  Here's the clematis that inspired me, and I used some card stock to guide my coloring.

Once again, this was an easy card using GIMP to remove the backgrounds (erase the one butterfly) and Microsoft Word to resize my image and to add the sentiment. I started coloring with one layout idea in my head and ended up with a totally different card (life is sort of like that, isn't it?). Seeing so many images of clematis growing on trellises, I ended up going that route. You surely know how much I love decorative dies, so one of them became my "trellis" -- and the rest was easy (well, with some fussy cutting...hehe!). I die cut two white "frames" to give some depth and layered that onto the card base. I cut a pink mat with Labels 28 (used three layers glued together to raise it rather than use adhesive foam dimensionals). Then I placed the die over my focal image and lightly traced inside with a pencil. I very carefully cut inside the pencil line to achieve a thin pink mat and cut around the "out-of-the-box" part of the image -- to make it look like my clematis is growing on the trellis. Glued the matted focal image to my card...and it was done!

Because of a busy birthday week, I didn't color two cards (like I normally try to do). However, with the annual "Hope You Can Cling To" challenge starting October 1 on Splitcoaststampers, I will definitely use this new digital release -- such beautiful flowers and a great sentiment to encourage. 

Now it's time to visit my amazing teammates! Be sure to visit Power Poppy to get this new digital release to use today. While you are there, check out the entire digital collection...it's growing! 

Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence

Cheryl Scrivens <me>

Marcella Hawley

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and surely you or someone you know have been touched by cancer. Let's all remember that we too can continue to "keep climbing" by supporting cancer research with our donations and encouraging those battling cancer with our prayers and support. What comfort it is for me to know that our true and only hope is in the Lord.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from Him.

Psalm 62:5

Thanks so much for "stopping by" and sharing a comment, thought or question. I am always happy to answer questions, so don't hesitate to email me. I am entering this card for today's Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoaststampers, the weekly challenge at Word Art Wednesday, and this week's Simon Says Wednesday Challenge.

I hope you have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Blessings,

Stamps:  Climbing Clematis (Power Poppy) 

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), Regal Rose (SU), White (PTI) 

Tools/Accessories: Copic markers, Devine Eloquence and Labels 28 dies (Spellbinders), Glue n' Seal adhesive, red tape

Techniques: Digital images using Microsoft Word and GIMP, out-of-the-box technique

Card Size:  A-2
Copics used:  Flowers - RV10, RV21, RV13, RV52; Flower Centers - Y32, Y17; Leaves/Stems - G20, G43, YG01, YG03, G46, E31; Butterfly - Y000, Y32, W5; Background Shading - YR30, YR31, 0