Favorite Bible Verse/Anything Goes Challenge

I'm happy to be a member of Crafters of Faith, an online group of card makers on Split Coast Stampers who love paper crafting and share their faith in God.

September's challenge is to pick any favorite verse and make a card using that verse.  I am in need of some sympathy cards so decided to get busy and get some done.  It took longer for me to settle on a verse to use than it did to make the cards!  But I do like how they turned out.

The verse is computer generated.  It took a while, making a jig with regular paper, taping the cut panel onto it and then running it through the printer.  It was a learning experience, hahaha.

The stamp is from DeNami Designs.  The image is stamped in green ink and heat embossed with Diamond EP by A Muse Studios.  I like it in green, to me the color signifies life and rebirth.

Here's a look at the inside panel, using a well known set from Stampin' Up:

The other inside panel was left white so that personal messages could be added before I sent these out.

That's it for me right now.  Actually, if this goes live on time, I will be doing the airport hop from west coast to east coast on the 30th.  My dear uncle's Celebration of Life memorial service is on the 28th and I will be coming home from seeing my family members out there. I urge you to hop over to the blogs of the members of Crafters of Faith and admire their September challenge cards.  Links to their blogs are in my sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by and God Bless you and your family!

Around the World with the Dueling Darlings

It's the 15th of the month and don't be shocked - I'm not even late with my Dueling Darling post!!  (a minor miracle, haha)  April & Kadie are our hostesses this month and here's their challenge:

"For September we decided that since there are so many cute stamps out right now with different country themes, that we would travel the globe and celebrate culture! Please find enclosed in your kit, a stamp that represents a certain country and papers and embellishments to match this travel theme. Feel free to make this month's challenge your own in any way. Whether it be with a sentiment or embellishment that reflects your own heritage or just by sharing with us in your post what your heritage is and what traditions you have in your family that celebrate those origins.

Looking forward to seeing your creations!
Kadie and April"
...And April added for the Dazzlers:
"To tell the truth friends, I loved the heritage and tradition theme and chose to send generic people that you can customize! I hope you don't mind!  I kept the accessories in black and white theme so they can coordinate with your design!

The stamps are from two sets from CTMH:
Family Ties - Adult
Family Ties - Children
The embellishments are from Michael's."

Well, this really got me thinking...and searching.  It seems that I have no travel-related stamps, or stamps that depict a certain country, or heritage that I can claim as my own...what to do???

Then I thought of what a great group this is, how different we all are, and the friendships we've formed.  Bingo!  I had an idea:

I decided to use the children images sent by April, and tried to color them differently, although the distinction is lost a bit in the photo.

The sentiment is from Inkadoo and always makes me smile.  And it's pretty true also!

As for my personal heritage, it's Slovak, Russian, German and Swedish.  About 1/4 each.  Lots of Pickled Herring, German Potato Salad, Sauerkraut and loads of incredible baked goodies that I don't even know the names of.  Weddings and family reunions were filled with music played on the accordion, (yes there were polkas) laughter, love and amazing food.  

Give yourself a nice break and visit the Divas & Dazzlers (links on the right) and admire their creations and read their own stories of their traditions and heritage.  Thank you for stopping by my little blog today!

COF August Challenge: Our Parents

Well, you can see that I'm catching up (slowly LOL)  Only 1 day late with this post!

I am fortunate enough to be a member of a group on SCS: Crafters of Faith.  Barb is our wonderful challenge hostess for August and she challenged us to make a card in honor of one or both of our parents.  Anything that brings them to mind...

Well, that's a tall order.  Could it be how my folks always fed hummingbirds, and helped me learn how to spot their nests?  Could it be the many fun memories digging clams, fishing or catching Dungeness crab?  Could it be working on cars in my Dad's auto shop?  The list goes on and on.

Then I spied a new addition to my stash from Whippersnappers.  Presto!  I knew that camping would be the theme of my card!

Isn't this a fun image?  I love the casual look to it, almost as if a child drew it.  It's colored with Derwent and Prismas, blended with gamsol.  The background sky is light grey and Stardust Stickles were used to highlight the starry night.  The flames have a coating of Crystal Effects by SU.

Here's the sentiment that I chose from Little Paper Shop.  (Sorry, but the package does not have a name for the set.)





My parents had me tent camping when I was only 6 months old.  We lived in the Pacific Northwest corner of Washington State and there's plenty of options for camping: ocean beaches, mountains, islands, even a rain forest!  There was a big gang of us that camped together, eventually forming the state's first trailer club.  It was a great way to learn about nature and have loads of fun too.

Thanks for giving us such a great challenge this month, Barb!  Many, many blessings to each of you & thanks for stopping by!