CTMH ~ Land of the Free ~

For all of my friends in the United States, Happy 4th of July!  I hope this post finds you enjoying a day full of friends and fun!  I have a simple card to share today featuring an older Close To My Heart release.  I'm not sure if this was a special monthly set or just is no longer in the catalog.  I normally don't like to feature things that you can't purchase.  However, I REALLY wanted to use this stamp for a project this year!  So here it is!  It features Close To My Heart's Home of the Brave set.

I started with a 5.5 x 4.25 inch blue card stock base and added a red mat.  I stamped the Statue of Liberty image and added 3 inked images (red, blue and yellow) of my firecrackers.  I finished the card by stamping the sentiment in black ink in the corner.  

I took some time today to catch up on my daily Bible reading...  I have been studying for a HR re-certification course...  and sadly my Bible studies fell behind.  Today, I found myself in the book of Philippians...

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."

    Phillippians 3:20-21 NASB (New American Standard Bible)

I have always been a proud American.  The 4th of July always brings a surge of patriotism for me.    This scripture brought a powerful truth home to me.  I am just passing through.  This place...  isn't my home...  I might be a citizen of the US of A...  but that is temporary...  I hold a citizenship that trumps all others....  Do you???  

Blessings...

Lori  

WAW142 ~ His Song ~ Psalm 42:8

 It's time for another fabulous, fun and inspirational challenge

at Word Art Wednesday.

  

Be sure to check out the Word Art Wednesday site for all of the details including this week's digital scripture, how to link your creation AND info on some fabulous prizes! 

 

And a very special shout out to Moonlighting Designs Etsy Store and The Frantic Stamper!  These fabulous companies provided our prizes this week!  Thank you, thank you!!! 

This week we are visiting scripture from the 
Old Testament...

 

When I see the majesty of the night light up with fireworks it makes me smile!  I think that our Lord appreciates them as well.  He has his own special fireworks...  lightning...  to light the evening sky... 

 

This week I created two white card stock panels and created my own fireworks with some blue and red inks.  And for a final touch...  silver embossing...

 

 

Stamps - Close to My Heart - July Stamp of the Month - Kaboom

Inks - Memento Ladybug and Paris Dusk, Versamark

Embossing Power - Ranger Silver

Papers - Bazzill, Georgia Pacific

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderfully blessed week!  {{hugs}}

Additional Challenges

V's Sweet Ideas - Red, White and Blue VSC Challenge #25

~ Glad Tidings ~

Good morning!  So glad to see ya!  Today, I have a card featuring a new set (new to me) from Close to My Heart.  My dear friend Emily, recently featured this set in our monthly card class and I couldn't wait to crank out some more cards using it! 

 

I must confess this image scared me a bit!  There are certain images that intimidate me!  When you are coloring an image of Mary and baby Jesus...  Somehow I just worry I will never be able to do it justice!  So here it is!  I pulled the fold idea from a recent edition of Cardmaker magazine.

 

There is something about this image that speaks to my heart.  I was never blessed with children but I can only imagine the wonder Mary must have had as she cradled her firstborn.  The questions she may have pondered as she thought about the amazing circumstances of his birth...  The love that only a mother can understand...  This image just cuts directly to my heart on so many levels.  Maybe that is why I worried over the coloring so much...

 

I also added a colored star image from the same set.  I hand cut it after stamping and coloring.  A bit of Stickles adds some bling!  I stamped the sentiment directly on the bottom panel as I couldn't find a die cut that worked!  I wanted the focus to be entirely on the image panel!  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Until next time...

 

Blessings...

 

Lori

 

Supplies

 

Stamps - Close to My Heart - Mary and Babe

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Summer Sky

Dies - Spellbinders Ovals Large, Classic Scalloped Ovals Large

Misc. - Stickles - Star Dust

CTMH ~ Faith Shines Bright ~

Happy Monday!  Hope this bright morning finds you well!  Today, I have a card to share using Close To My Heart's stamp of the month, Illuminate.  I purchased this recently from a good friend, Emily and decided to create a clean and simple card.  How did I do?

I stamped the light post in black and added the lantern before coloring the image lightly with Y35.  I added just a bit of Stardust Stickles for a bit of pizzaz.  I also used my much ignored corner rounder to kick it up a notch.  I stamped the sentiment on white card stock along with the "glow" and colored it with the yellow Copic also.  I cut it with a Spellbinder die and added a coordinating scalloped black die to make it pop!  Super easy!  I just might take this clean and simple thing to heart!  ;-) 

 

Be sure to hop over and check out what the Exploring Cricut

crew has to show you today.  I normally post for their challenges but couldn't this week due to illness.  **sniff**  I know Diane and company have a super fun challenge for ya!

 

Till next time...

 

Blessings...

 

Supplies

 

Stamps - Close To My Heart - Illuminate

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics Y35

Papers - Neenah Solar Crest, Bazzill, Georgia Pacific

Misc. - Spellbinders Classic Ovals Small & Classic Scalloped Ovals Small

~ Autumn, October, Homemade Apple Pie ~

Yum!  I must say all of those things sound great...  particularly the homemade apple pie!  Maybe with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top?  :-)  This fun sentiment came out as the CTMH September stamp of the month.  I couldn't resist.  I can't wait to use this banner stamp to create a banner for an autumn framed photo! 

 

This time I opted to make a card...  a 5 x 7 gem...

 

The metal leaves came from a set I picked up at Michaels.  I thought about creating some sort of floral spray but decided it would cover up the sentiment too much.  This way if looks like the leaves are falling!  Just what you would see this time of year, right? 

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

Supplies

 

Stamps - Close to My Heart - Poster Tidings

Ink - Close to My Heart - Saddle

Paper - The Paper Studio, Bazzill

Misc. - Momenta Metal

CAS233 ~ Blessed ~

Yes, I am truly blessed!  Yesterday's Sunday School lesson challenged me to come up with all of the ways I have been blessed over the years. 

Whew!!!  Once I started to put pen to paper, I realized just how richly I have been.  I have a wonderful family, career and home.  My church family and all of the crafting friends I have made over the years... 

And I just have to say, crafters are some of the most AMAZING people in the world!!!  There isn't a warmer bunch of people, whether you like to sew, paint or work with paper...  your love and support just blesses my heart!  So yes, I am very blessed in so many ways and by so many people!  Thank you to everyone reading today!  You truly bless me! 

 

I have a couple of cards for the clean and simple challenge at Splitcoast...

Card Properties - 5.5 x 4.25

 

Kraft base - The Paper Studio

White layer - Gina K. Designs

Copics - Cornstalk - Y21, E31; Corn - Y35; Pumpkins - YR02, YR07, E25; Stems/Leaves - YG09,YG17

Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa

Dimensional Foam - White layer and fussy cut pumpkins
Stamps- Close to My Heart - Count Your Blessings

and the second one...

Card Properties - 5.5 x 4.25

 

Base - Georgia Pacific Black CS

Yellow layer - Bazzill dry embossed with Quatrefoil EF by The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)

White - Gina K Designs Pure Luxury CS

Inks - Memento Tuxedo Black (image); Versafine Onyx Black (sentiment); Copics - milk can (C0, C1, C2, C3, C5; Grass (YG17); Leaves (YG05, YG45); Sunflower center (E29, E89); Sunflower (Y06, Y35)

Misc. - Dimensional Foam

Stamps - Close to My Heart - Country Born

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

Lori

 

Challenges

 

Through the Craftroom Door - Anything Goes

Inspire Me Fridays

 The Paper Players #159 - CAS - One Layer

SR146 ~ Boo From the Crew ~

Good morning!  Had a few moments last night to attend a card class and hang out with old friends!  I just LOVE those kind of evenings!  Today I plan on getting a few household chores done and **wink, wink** sneak in some crafty!  :-)

But in the meantime, I want to share a fun sketch I found at Stampin' Royalty.   A while back my friend and Close to My Heart enabler, Emily, hosted a card class featuring a cute Halloween set.  One of the phrases is "no bones about it."  With all these big dogs around, I thought that sentiment might prove to be useful!  So with some new CTMH papers and stamp set plus this sketch I went to work.  My card doesn't have anything to do with St. Bernards but I'm sure someone will like it!  So here's the sketch...

And my interpretation...

I distressed and inked the DP edges. If you look closely, you will see a torn area on the bottom.

 ** That was on purpose...  ** Instead of pennants, I opted to use a Martha Stewart punch (Drippy Goo) and a bit of measuring tape twill from my stash to come up with some fun and funky trim. I stamped the trick or treater image on paper twice and hand cut one image to add with dimensional foam. The sentiment was embossed on black card stock.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the Clear Dollar Stamps Monthly Blog Hop. I have two posts for Exploring Cricut this week for my Cricut fans as well. Pop in Monday and Friday for those. Tuesday, Our Daily Bread Designs will reveal their weekly challenge. Come by for my interpretation and details!

 

Whew! Sounds like a busy week! :-)

 

 Thanks for stopping in and hope you have a wonderful day!

Lori

Card Recipe

Stamps - Close to My Heart - Creepy Creatures

Ink - Versamark; Ranger Distress Ink - Black Soot

Paper - Moonlight Paper Pack

Embossing Powder - American Crafts Zing - Brown Sugar

Misc. - Twill Ribbon & Martha Stewart Crafts Drippy Goo Paper Punch

Challenges

Stampin' Royalty - SR146
Simon Says Stamp - Joy's Eerie Inspiration

MOJO259 ~ Harvest of Memories

Thanks for stopping in!  I hope you and yours are having a wonderful, worship filled and restful Sabbath!  As I write this, I am preparing for a short business trip and attempting to tie up some loose ends.  Tons of laundry, dishes and the like to do...  plus I am frantically preparing posts for the upcoming weeks! 

I have several fun projects this week.  For Cricut fans, I will post a couple of Exploring Cricut projects this week.  Our Daily Bread Designs' weekly Shining the Light Challenge is Tuesday PLUS I will be joining the alumni crew for a hop Thursday!  I will also share a cute card using some digis from Clear Dollar Stamps.  It promises to be a fun filled week! 

In the meantime, I am sharing my take on the weekly Mojo sketch shown here...

And my interpretation...

I had the opportunity to attend a card class a few nights ago. My friend Emily, created some fun projects for us to do. We talked about the plethora of stamps we own... (and how there must be a ten step program for this...) Sadly, I realized I have a stack of cute fall images that I am under utilizing. So today, I pulled out one and knocked some dust off of it. I chose Close To My Hearts' So Grateful set.

I stamped the pumpkin image with a slightly lighter ink followed by the word layer in a deeper shade. I also stamped the leaf in several colors and cut them out individually to add with dimensional foam. I embossed the background with an embossing folder to mimic lattice. The circle form tucked in behind the focal panel is a bit of burlap cut with a Spellbinder die. Instead of my normal spray of flowers, I grouped together some random buttons. It feels a bit more like fall to me...

Thanks so much for stopping by and check in each day this week to see the projects I have. I may even have two on one day! ;-)

Blessings...

Lori

Card Recipe

Stamps - Close To My Heart - So Grateful

Papers - Bazzill, Neenah, Simple Stories - Take a Hike

Ink - CTMH - Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta (pumpkin), Topiary (stem, pumpkin leaf & sentiment), Sunflower, Sunset (falling leaves)

Dies - Spellbinders - Standard Circles Large & Foliage Two

Embossing Folder - Provocraft - Wicker Weave

Misc. - Buttons (Bo Bunny), Twine, Burlap

 

Challenges

 

Mojo Monday Sketch 259 - MOJO259

French Country ~ a project with Distress Crackle Paint

I must confess... I love the French Country look! The thing is... I feel like it looks great in everyone else's home BUT mine... lol... So I have to settle for a decidedly French feeling card! No designer paper on this one though. I used plain card stock in black, mustard and dark red, distressing and inking all edges. I stamped the images on white card stock and then applied a new product for me, Distress Crackle Paint. The finish I chose is clear and I LOVE how it looks! It makes my images look like they are under old glass... SO COOL! I lightly inked the crackle before matting. The edges did curl up using this product but I like the look and decided to leave it. So fun and super easy!

So enough talk... here it is...

Thanks so much for stopping by! Blessings...

Supplies

Stamps - Close to My Heart - Country Life
Paper - Bazzill
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Ink - Tea Dye
Paint - Ranger Distress Crackle Paint - Clear Rock Candy
Ribbon - Unknown
Fleur De Lis - Recollections

Happy Easter Card

It amazes me that Good Friday is already here! It seems like a few days ago we were celebrating the Christmas season!  Time seems to go so much faster than when I was a child. 

Speaking of being a child, isn't it interesting how your perspective of things changes as you age?  As a youngster I never understood the term "Good Friday." Naturally I knew that this was the day set aside to mark Jesus' crucifixion and death but I struggled with how something so vile could be called "good." It was only as a young woman that I began to appreciate the term. As Christians we know that you can never be good enough to remove our separation through God. For we are sinners from birth and God cannot be in the presence of sin. And the Bible clearly states "the wages of sin are death." A sinner receives an automatic death sentence. But even though we are sinners God loves us and does not want to be apart from us.  In fact he values that relationship so much that he made a way for us. 
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

It is through his shed blood that we may stand blameless in front of God.  What a wonderful gift that is.  It just has to be accepted and that my friends makes it a very Good Friday indeed...

Blessings...

Lori

Supplies

Stamps - Close to My Heart - Eastertime
Paper - Bazzill, Echo Park - Country Drive
Inks - Memento Tuxedo Black, Close to My Heart - Sunflower, Cotton Candy
Misc. - Martha Stewart Crafts Punch - Icicles (turned upside down for grass)

WT368 ~ Life is Good

Welcome Wednesday and welcome dear readers! I am so glad you took a few moments to stop by! This week has been unusually quiet for me! I'm taking a few days to catch up on work, home and life in general. The next few weeks will be busy so I wanted to take a little time to unwind. My dear friend Sabrina (who designs for Our Daily Bread Designs) has a wonderful tag line on her blog. She says "she is blessed to do what she loves." I must agree wholeheartedly. I am truly blessed to be able to create and share. Sometime I have to "recharge" my batteries and come up with some new pretties for you. Today I am sharing a simple card using a lovely stamp set I picked up from my Close to My Heart friend Emily. It is called Remarkable Wreath.

The base is black card stock with a Cheery Lynn Designs Die layered on top. I then stamped my sentiment in black, the wreath in brown and finished off with red berries. I then hand cut the wreath out and applied it with dimensional foam. Super easy! And it was fast! Love that!!!

Please be sure to check in with me over the next few weeks as I have a ton of posts in the hopper. For the Cricut Crew there will be two Exploring Cricut posts. Saturday, ODBD will have another Shining the Light challenge and Monday I will be guest designing in The Shabby Tea Room. And I feel certain I will have more posts sprinkled in here and there. My down time will spur my creative juices! Thanks for reading and until next time... blessings...

Lori

Supplies

Card Stock - Bazzill, Colorbok; Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa, Tuxedo Black, Rhubarb Stalk; Stamps - Close to My Heart - Remarkable Wreath; Die - Cheery Lynn Designs - Cathedral Lace Frame

Challenges

Splitcoast Stampers WT368 - Get Sentimental - Use a sentiment that inspires you

SSIC131 & CPS157 ~ He is Risen

Thanks so much for stopping by! Thanks again to all of those who stopped by over the last few days to celebrate Our Daily Bread Designs' 4th Anniversary! I appreciate your feedback. In the coming days I will showcase a few more creations using the scripture I submitted as well as other design team selections! I will even have a clean and simple card coming this week! (I can't believe it myself... lol)...

Today I am playing along in a few challenges. I am also using some new supplies in my stash! I LOVE to do that! So here is today's sketch from Card Patterns...



And my interpretation using some new items I picked up recently from my Close to My Heart contact and good friend Emily.



Not sure how I feel about the coloring on little lambie but he was as close to a Khatahdin as I could get! The Stampin' Sisters in Christ ladies have issued a new challenge as well. They asked participants to do something related to spring. I thought the lamb image as well as Easter sentiment were perfect! Thanks again and until next time... blessings...

Supplies

Stamps - Close to My Heart - He is Risen
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Ink Antique Linen, Copics, CTMH Outdoor Denim (sentiment)
Paper - Card Stock - CTMH, Designer Paper CTMH Pemberley Collections, Gina K. Designs Ivory 80 lb weight
Accessories - Denim Ribbon, Embossing Folder - Darice Butterflies in Corner, Paper Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts

Challenges

Stampin' Sisters in Christ - Something Related To Spring
Card Patterns 157

SSC93 Father's Day

The ladies at Stampin' Sisters in Christ have issued another challenge. And naturally I have to play along! :-) This week, the ladies have asked participants to create a Father's Day card or a card celebrating our Heavenly Father. This card will be going to dear hubby. And even though our recent trip wasn't to the ocean I thought he might enjoy this. During our trip to Lake Superior we had the opportunity to see some beautiful lighthouses. Hopefully this will "brighten" his day and remind him of the fun trip we had. Here's hoping you have a wonderful week and I will see you again soon!

Blessings ~

Lori
aka Saintsrule!

Card Recipe

Card Stock - Bazzill, Colorbok, Gina K. Pure Luxury
Designer Paper - My Mind's Eye - American Made Collection
Stamps - Close to My Heart - Summer Breeze
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Summer Sky, Danube Blue; Copics
Die Cuts - Spellbinders - Standard Circles Large, Petite Scalloped Circles Large, Lacey Circles
Stickles - Diamond (light)
Ribbon - Celebrate It - American Collection (Michaels)
Brad - Recollections
Pearls - Recollections

Happy Thoughts

Thursday is upon us! Another week is almost finished and as usual I am WAY behind on my crafting! People in this part of the country have a saying for that... "so far behind you think you are ahead..." If that is the case I must be hanging out about July 4th of last year... Looking at it that way, I am ahead! :-)

We have had a wonderful few days catching up with family. It is really a shame that it takes the death of a loved one to bring all of your extended family together! The littles have grown so much and many aren't "little" anymore... Has a way of making me feel VERY old! lol

Speaking of old... (clever segue)

I created today's card for a recipe challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow. The recipe calls for 3 designer papers, 2 die cuts and 1 charm. I met this requirement with 3 papers from a recent Fancy Pants Designs purchase (It's the Little Things Paper Pad) and Spellbinders Floral Doily Motifs. The charm came from my stash. (Sorry, I can't tell you the brand...) A detailed product list follows the card.

Thanks as always for reading and have a great day!

Lori



Card Recipe

Card Stock - Colorbok, Bazzill
Designer Paper - Fancy Pants Designs - It's the Little Things
Stamp - Image & Sentiment - Close to My Heart - Baby Love
Ink - Memento - Tuxedo Black
Hole Punch - holes in notebook pattern paper
Paper Punch - Martha Stewart by EK Success - Cherish Around the Page Punch Set
Die Cuts - Spellbinders Floral Doily Motifs
Pearls & Flourish - Recollections
Fiber - Simplicity - 7/8" Flat Cluny Edge; Baker's Twine (woven through lace)
Charm

Come Unto Me

Have you ever ordered something, waited patiently for it to arrive and then wonder how you will use it? Well, one of the stamps I used for today's project just about never saw the light of day! It's a beautiful stamp but boy it made me nervous! I was afraid I couldn't live up to it's beauty! Since I love peonies this image seemed perfect. I guess I didn't read the dimensions. When I received it I was unsure what to do with it! I thought... how in the world will I use this big of a stamp???

So I stashed it on my stamp shelf and promptly forgot about it... until last night. I stamped the image on plain white card stock (twice)... spritzed it with some Smooch Spritz and then waited. I thought inspiration would hit! lol... Well, let me tell ya... I still wasn't feeling inspired... So then I decided to cut one up and EUREKA the light bulb went off! The second image is actually layered on the first. I carefully glued each section of petals on (with strong glue dots) and then popped the upper portion up with dimensional foam. It kinda makes it look like real petals. See it wasn't so scary after all! Blessings to you and yours!

Lori
Saintsrule!



Card Stock - Bazzill
Stamps - Image - Stampendous - Cling Jumbo Peony Set; Sentiment - Close to My Heart -Everlasting Life
Ink - Close to My Heart - Hollyhock
Smooch Spritz - Pink Sprinkles, Silver Foil
Embellies - Pearls - Jolee - Silver
Die Cuts - Spellbinders Nestabilities - Classic Ovals Small, Classic Scalloped Ovals Small

Love You

This is so very true! I love all of you! I have met so many wonderful people since I started this blog 2 plus years ago. I treasure each and every friendship and every kind word of encouragement. There are days that are difficult I must admit. But I know that when I am down my heavenly Father will lift me up. And more often than not he uses some pretty special "angels" to do his work. Thank you for all you do for me dear readers. It is greatly appreciated!

Now on to today's card. I LOVE to make frilly cards! No kidding you say??? lol... But every once in a while it is nice to just do something simple. A wonderful stamping buddy of mine holds card classes. And with each class you receive a set of stamps plus the supplies to make 4 cards. I love that! It frees me up from the stress of figuring out how to make ink and paper look pretty... lol...

In February, her theme was Valentine's Day. Well, I had something come up and could not attend. Yesterday I decided to pull out my stamp set, some scraps and get to work. As you can see it is very plain Jane... but it is the perfect way to use up all those leftovers we always have! The embellie is a simple 1 1/2 inch circle of cardstock with scor-tape on the back. I then used a nice satin ribbon and gently gathered it on the tape. I love the "medallion" look! I then stamped a sentiment from the set and adhered it to the front! Instant embellishment... LOVE IT! Blessings to you this day and join me bright and early Saturday morning for the next Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light Challenge. It promises to be fun!



Card Recipe

Paper - Bazzill, K & Company
Stamps - Close to My Heart - Affection
Ink - Close to My Heart - Hollyhock, Garden Green, Sunflower
Embellies - Pebbles by SMH - Egg Hunt; Fiber - Stampin' Up
Corner Rounder

The Greatest Treasures

I'm doing something a little different today. A dear friend of mine recently had a stamp party at my house. Can you believe people do that? Oh my, I definitely need a twelve step program! :-) I had the opportunity to purchase a few sets. Naturally I couldn't wait to put them to good use! This particular sentiment really spoke to me.

The Bible says what we say reflects what our heart holds. The strongest Christians I have known in my life have had beautiful hearts. They care for people around them. They take time out of a hectic day to put someone at ease. They go out of their way to be kind to others. When they speak, you feel a sense of comfort and peace. This card is delightfully simple but complex all at the same time. It reflects the essence of those wonderful people. The greatest treasure we can give truly comes from the heart. Blessings to you! Give of your heart and it is bound to come back to you!

Lori



Card Recipe

Card Stock - Bazzill
Stamps - Close to My Heart - Heartfelt Treasures
Ink - CTMH - Garden Green, Indian Corn Blue, Moonstruck
Embossing Folder - Provocraft
Nestabilities - Lacey Circles, Standard Circles Large, Labels One
Embellies - Dew Drops Tundra by SMH
Fiber - Unknown

Composition 101

A few months back I purchased a plain composition book. My intent was to create a book to keep various notes about Christmas shopping, recipes, etc. within reach. So here it is close to February and did the composition book get whipped into Christmas organization central? NO... lol... SO I went to plan B. I created a prayer journal. I hope to give this to our oldest granddaughter this Easter. She will be turning thirteen later this year. Hopefully this journal will give her a place to record her thoughts. It was a relatively simple project and could be modifed to suit any special occasion you might have. Have fun with Composition 101!

Blessings -

Lori

You will need a plain composition book. (Make sure it is the kind that is bound like a book.) This one cost $1.00 at our grocery store!



7 X 10 1/2 inches of designer paper (2 pieces) to cover the outside of your book
Score roughly at 3/4 in from top and bottom to make it easier to adhere to your book. Don't worry as the paper will not go to the binding. We will cover it with the next two pieces!

Adhere the designer paper to the covers taking care to fold and adhere top and bottom first and then the side you would open. Scor Tape is a must for this part!

Next....

5 x 9 11/16 in piece of card stock (my example, pink) 1 piece scored at 2 1/2 in
4 x 9 11/16 in piece of card stock (my example, kraft) 1 piece scored at 2 in



I embellished the pink card stock before adhering with a Martha Stewart Punch. I then aligned the scored point on the center of the binding and adhered. For this project I used Scor Tape. I can't stress enough the importance of a sturdy adhesive!

Then adhere the kraft card stock on, again placing the scored point on the center of the binding.

The inside covers were then covered with 2 - 7 x 9 1/2 in pieces of card stock to cover the seams. I embellished this with ribbon from Stampin Up and then created a tab in the back to slide a pen into.

Supply List

Composition Book (Bound like a book)
Card Stock - Bazzill
Designer Paper - The Paper Studio - Meadowsweet Butterflies
Scor Tape
Ribbon - Stampin Up
Stamp - Sentiment - Close To My Heart - Everlasting Life
Ink - Close to My Heart - Hollyhock
Die Cuts - Spellbinders - Nestabilities - Pendant Fleur de Lis, Labels One

Love this scripture...

We have a new family member!

Things have been a little crazy around our household this past week. We had a wonderful Christmas full of family, friends and food! Then a few short days later our family got a little larger as we welcomed the newest member, Emma Grace! Emma is our 5th grandchild! Mom, baby and family are doing well.

I started a card shortly after for Emma but wouldn't you know it... I got sick... the flu... So much for flu shots right? :-P Today is the first day I feel half way normal... but if you see any typos please forgive me... My brain is still very foggy!

Before the card I have to share a photo of Emma... (insert proud grandma grin here)...



And on to the card...



Finished Card Size
5 x 7

Card Stock - Bazzill - Red, Georgia Pacific - White
Designer Paper - Karen Foster - Delivery With Love
Stamp - Sentiment - Close To My Heart - Welcome Baby
Ink - Sentiment - Memento - Ladybug
Die Cuts - Letter - Birthday Bash
Die Cuts - Clouds - Pooh and Friends
Embellishments - Swiss Dot Folder - Provocraft
Twine
Pop Dots

Santa is Coming to Town!

Here we are the day before Thanksgiving. Don't you just love the holiday season? There is so much meaning this time of year. I think of the Pilgrims celebrating the first Thanksgiving. Half of their population died from exposure and malnutrition simply because they wanted to worship the one true God. And Christmas... how a baby born in a manager in Bethlehem changed the entire world. It is a wonderful time of year and I am so blessed and tremendously thankful for all the gifts my Lord has given me. I can't praise him enough!

Today's card actually uses an image of Santa Claus. Many people don't know the story behind the real Father Christmas who made sure children in his village had little treats at Christmas time. Somewhere we lost the real meaning of Christmas and self sacrifice for others. I have been very guilty of focusing so much on getting the perfect "gifts" that I have forgotten about the most important gifts. First of all, I pray my family and friends know Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Second, I pray that the gifts I give are from the heart and build "memories" not "materialism." I pray that I also become more child-like in my dealings with others.

The image of Santa reminds me of this. Children are so true in their faith. For a few brief years they "BELIEVE" there is a Santa. Even though the logistics of it are impossible not to mention improbable they believe with all their heart. It is my prayer that I take that wide eyed innocence into this season of love and giving.

In the book of Luke, the disciples were squabbling about what ranking they would have in heaven. (How true is this today among Christians? I know I have been guilty of this on more than one occasion.) Jesus perceiving the magnitude of this little ego trip promptly placed a child beside him and began to gently counsel the disciples.

And said unto them, "Whosover shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he is least among you all, the same shall be great."
Luke 9:48

Wow! Blessings to you-

Lori

Card Recipe

5 X 7

Card Stock - Georgie Pacific (white & black), Bazzill
Pattern Paper - Anna Griffith
Stamps - Image - Close to My Heart - Share the Magic
Stamps - Sentiment - Close to My Heart - I Believe
Ink - Image and Sentiment - Memento - Tuxedo Black
Copic - Markers
Ribbon - 7/8 Offray Grosgrain - Black
Stickles - Diamond (belt buckle and sentiment)
Gold Pen - Uni-Ball Gold Gel Pen
Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug - Swiss Dots
Die Cut - Fiskars Punch



Copic Colors

Reds - R27, R29, R46
Blacks - 110, C7, C5
Skin - E00
Blush - R20
Lips - E04