~ Wishing You ~

I am a sucker for a wedding.  I am probably the sappiest (is that a word?) person you will ever meet.  Just a few hours prior to writing this post, I finished up watching another Hallmark June wedding movie...  I would get married every week.  To the same wonderful guy of course...  but I'm pretty sure he would kill me!  lol...  I love the preparation, the festivities, the decor...  And I am especially LOVING the rustic/country decor that has taken over this part of the country.  My Pinterest feed has been taken over lately by wedding cakes...  and not just the traditional white frosting with basket weave but creative masterpieces designed to look like anything other than a cake.  I keep seeing cakes designed to look like birch trees and so I had to try to create my own version using Our Daily Bread Designs' Long Lasting Love.

Layer by Layer

1. White Card Stock - 4.25 x 11 inches; scored and folded at 5.5 inches
2. Silver DP (4.25 x 5.5 inches) ODBD's new Wedding Wishes Paper Pad
3. Pattern DP Wedding Wishes Paper Pad cut with ODBD's Rectangles Die
4. White Card Stock die cut with ODBD's Lattice Background Die and altered with scissors to cover half of DP

1. Gold DP from ODBD's Wedding Wishes Paper Pad; die cut with ODBD's Filigree Frames Die
2. White Card Stock, Black Ink, sentiment from NEW Long Lasting Love; die cut with Ovals Die
3. Image from NEW Long Lasting Love, stamped with Black Copic compatible ink on card stock, colored and die cut with Rectangles Die
4. Pink and green card stock, Bitty Blossoms Die with Liquid Pearls White Opal Centers 

Copic Colors -

W3, CO, C3, E29
YG61, YG63
RV00, RV02
Y11, Y15, Y26, E25
B34

and the inspiration photo from Danielle & Josh Menning Photographic

Thanks for visiting!  Until next time, 

Blessings!

~ Pearls of Wisdom ~

Teachers impact lives each and every day across our great country.  Some of my fondest childhood memories involve places and events involving special teachers.  I spent countless hours with a tiny easel chalkboard playing school.  The hapless victims...   were rows of stuffed animals...  meticulously placed in what I deemed their proper "seating chart."  I loved school.  So much so, in fact, that I imagined spending my life as an educator.  A few semesters in, I heeded to the call of practicality and chose to pursue a degree in business.  And seventeen years later, I chose to return to school to complete a teaching certificate simply because I needed to prove I could do it.  I love the process of learning.  In fact, I would call myself a lifelong learner...  someone who seeks new learning opportunities.  I admire those who use their God given talents to shape young minds.  It is a difficult and often thankless task.  Scores and standards often take priority over what skills or knowledge a child might need.  Teachers are pushed to educate with little to any originality...  there is only one way...  depending on the current method of the moment.  I say all of that to say...  GOD BLESS THOSE WHO TEACH...  We entrust our children to them each and every day.  And they give EVERYTHING they have.  Sometimes they hurt, sometimes they cry and many times they rejoice!  It is a difficult road and I would encourage you to take a moment...  pray for our teachers...  bless them with words of encouragement and support!  And be willing to donate to help them.  Many of our teachers pay for supplies out of their own pockets because children do not have the means to bring their own.  Offer a gift certificate to a box store for supplies, a special gift card...  or a simple gesture of gratitude.  It goes a long way!  Blessings... 

So in honor of my favorite childhood "chalkboard" I designed a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card stock base and used ODBD's Rectangles Die to cut out the "base" and create legs.  I embossed the sentiment (white embossing powder on black cardstock using the new Seeds of Knowledge stamp set.  ODBD's Squares Die cut the faux chalkboard out perfectly.  I added a simple strip of brown card stock to create a chalk rail.  The image (also from Seeds of Knowledge) colored and die cut with the coordinating Teacher's Apples Die adorns the side.  I also took some time to play with the new A+ Apples Die.  After die cutting several layers, I scored and folded each, gluing similar sides together at a 90 degree angle.  For my dimensional apple, I used 8 of the larger die cut apples.  I glued on the die cut stem and leaves.  Won't this look cute stationed on someone's desk?

Here are the new items  you see...

 and some old favorites...

A Look Back at ODBD's April Release

Good morning and welcome to a special look back at Our Daily Bread Designs' April Release.   

 For this project, I used the Luminous Lantern Die, Rose Die, Rose Leaves Die and Lovely Flower stamp set...For more inspiration using the April Release be sure to visit the ODBD Blog.  And check the end of today's post for links to all of the DT members.  Take a peek at some of the items they created with the April release.

You see a few old favorites as well...

I covered each of the 5 panels with die cut vellum using ODBD's Rectangles Die and the green vines were created with the Fancy Foliage Die.  I stamped the sentiment on white card stock and used the Pennant Flags Die cut down to fit the front panel.  A bit of scrap seam binding was woven and tied on top...

Here are the new items you see...

and a few old favorites...

The "Bread Sticks"

Dawn * Cathy * Lori (ME)* Helen * Kathy * Lisa 

* Diana * Sandee * Julie * Sabrina * Robin

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is a day to celebrate all of those special relationships in your life...  your spouse, your children, your parents and your dearest friends!  Don't forget to tell all of the Valentines in your life how much you love and appreciate them!

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Layer by Layer...

1.  White card stock 4.25 by 11 inches, scored and gate folded at 5.5 inches
2.  Slightly smaller Cherry Cobbler CS mat
3.  White CS - Our Daily Bread Designs' Lavish Layers Die
4.  Cherry Cobbler CS - ODBD's Rectangles Die
5.  White CS - ODBD's Lavish Layers Die
6.  Cherry Cobbler Ink - ODBD's Happy Valentine's Day
7.  Green CS - Fancy Foliage Die; Bitty Blossoms Die
8.  Cherry Cobbler CS - Bitty Blossoms Die; Recollections Clear Microbeads in Crystal Glaze

The items you see...

Until next time...

Blessings...

~ A Snowy Prayer ~

Good morning!  I have a clean and simple card to share using a few items from Our Daily Bread Designs' December release including For Thine is the Kingdom stamp set and Deco Border Die.

Layer by Layer 

1. White Card Stock 4.25 by 11 inches, scored and folded at 5.5 inches
2. Cherry Cobbler CS 4.25 x 5.5 inches
3. ODBD's Snowflake Season Paper Collection die cut with Pierced Rectangles Die
4. Cherry Cobbler CS die cut with ODBD's Rectangles Die
5. White Card Stock die cut with Pierced Rectangles Die and stamped with sentiment from ODBD' s For Thine is the Kingdom stamp set
6. White CS - Deco Border Die embellished with Recollection pearls
7. White CS - Snow Crystals Die

Here are a few of the items you see...

and a few old favorites...

Thanks for visiting!

~ Our Daily Bread Designs ~Heartfelt Counsel~

Good morning friends!  Hot weather has given way to rain showers in my part of the world.  This is a welcome relief for my parched backyard.  Cracks in the earth are drinking in sweet provisions from heaven and the Saints...  they are loving the reappearance of mud puddles! 

Rain allows me to focus on inside chores like laundry and cleaning.  I have been working on a few minor changes in my dining room and hope to add a fresh coat of paint in the coming days.  It is amazing what a bit of rearranging, refinishing and restoring can do to a space.  After 12 years in our home, I find myself longing to mix things up a bit.  So as I spruce up the house and slather on some new paint, I wonder when was the last time I added some "fresh paint" to spruce things up in my spiritual house.  When was the last time I did an in depth Bible study, read a great Faith based book, watched a family movie or spent dedicated time in His word?  I guess a fresh coat of paint is always in order.  Paint on Master, paint on...

Today's card featuring Our Daily Bread Designs' 

Sweet as Perfume stamp set and Vintage Borders Die...

Here are a few items from the July release you see...
Sweet as Perfume stamp set

Vintage Borders Die for my sentiment panel...

and a few old favorites you see...

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Until next time...
Blessings...

May Release and Blog Hop at Our Daily Bread Designs

Welcome to Our Daily Bread Designs' May Release and Blog Hop!  The designers at ODBD have some beautiful creations to share featuring new stamps and dies!  And if you love the vintage feel, this release will be right up your alley!  Don't forget to check the end of my post today to see how you can hop along and potentially win your own gift code to the ODBD website!  

Here is my first card today featuring the new stamp set Tea Time, coordinating die Teapot & Roses, Flourishy Frame Die, Pierced Rectangles Die AND the fabulous Majestic Medallion Die!  

Lot's of layers of lusciousness...  (is that a word????)  

For today's purposes it IS!!!

Layer by Layer -

New ODBD items denoted with ****

4.25 x 11 inch white card stock base; scored and folded at 5.5 inches

****Pierced Rectangles Die and ODBD's Pastel Paper Pack (pink with white polka dot DP)

****Majestic Medallion Die - White CS

****Flourishy Frames Die - White CS

****Flourishy Frames Die and ODBD Pastel Paper Pack (Pink DP)

Neenah Solar Crest - ****Tea Time (Image)

 Image stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copics 

After coloring the image I used the coordinating ****Teapot & Roses Die to cut both the flowers and tea pot out, adding them with dimensional foam

The final touch - sentiment (black ink) also from the ****Tea Time set on ODBD's DP - Pastel Paper Pack and framed with Rectangles Die

And here are the new dies  you see on this project...

For today's second project, I chose the new stamp set, My Soul Thirsts

Layer by Layer...

4.25 x 11 inch Cocoa CS, scored and folded at 5.5 inches

****Pierced Rectangles Die with ODBD's DP Vintage Ephemera Paper Collection (Floral DP)

****Pierced Rectangles Die with ODBD's DP Vintage Ephemera Paper Collection  (Polka Dot DP)

Cocoa CS - Filigree Frames Die

****Pierced Rectangles Die with ODBD's Ephemera Essentials Paper Pad

****My Soul Thirsts - (sentiment stamped with a rich brown ink)

Flowers - ODBD's Ephemera Essentials Paper Pad - Pretty Posies Die 

Antique Bronze Microbead Centers

 Brown CS Twigs - ODBD's Lovely Leaves Die

and here are some of ODBD's favorites you see on these projects today...

So now here are the details for today's hop!

Three randomly selected winners will each receive a $25 Gift Code to the ODBD Website  just for commenting on the Design Team cards!  You have until May 2, 2016 at 9:00 p.m. EDT to leave your comments on the Designers' Blogs for a chance to win!  The winners will be posted on the ODBD Blog on May 3rd, so be sure to check back there to see if you won!

Thank you!

So to get started here are the design team blogs...

* Lori  (ME)* Robin * Melissa * Julie * 

* Sandee * Cathy * Dawn * Grace * Lisa *

 Sabrina * Diana * Angie  

 Chris * Jan (Guest Designer)

ODBD Blog  (If you get lost along the way!)

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed the projects I shared today.  As always I appreciate your feedback!  Blessings....