"Let the little children come to me" COF Nov. Challenge

It's the last day of the month and the Crafters of Faith group on Split Coast has a challenge hosted by one of us that is due today.  This month was my turn to host and here's my challenge:
Matthew 10:13-16

"People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”  And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them."

I have always loved the image that this brings to mind.  The culture of the day was such that children were valued even less than women were, so once again, Jesus is teaching that he came for the least ones in society.  My biggest pleasure in teaching Sunday School is always experiencing God's love and grace through the accepting eyes of children.
So, with that in mind, look through your treasure trove.  What do you have that shows the innocence of childhood?  The pleasure in simple things?  The wonder of nature?  The pure fun of our world?  What speaks to that child-like spirit that you remember from your childhood?  Try to create something that takes you back to your childish, unquestioning, innocent faith in God.  Create a little bit of heaven on paper!

Many of you know that I am a big D. Morgan fan, her stamps and art work really appeal to me.  So of course it would come down to 1 of 3 different vintage seascapes with a little girl featured on them.  Here's the one that won out:

The image is colored with watercolor pencils, both Derwent and Stampin Up and blended.  I really like this image.  To me, it speaks of carefree youth, where it's enough to just be in the moment and enjoy all that God's creation has to offer us.

Here's a close up of the pretty roses on the side (hopefully without the shadows in the picture):

This is honestly the most flowers I have ever put on a single card!  LOL  It's my feeble attempt at imitating my friend Maggie's style.  I really admire what she does with lovely flowers and embellishments along the edges of her images.  Give me a few years, maybe I can come close to her handiwork!

Thank you for stopping by and also thank you for any comments that you may leave.  They are a special treat that I save for early in the morning with my coffee before starting my day.  Why not give yourself a little treat and visit the blogs of my fellow Crafters of Faith?  Their links are in my side bar.  Go ahead - leave them some love!

Peace!

"There's a Nap for That"!

It's the day for another duel for us Dueling Darlings!
This month I was the hostess for the Dazzlers, and Darling Tami was the hostess for the Divas.  I just love teaming up with Tami for hostessing, she's a hoot and we have a blast!

This month the Dazzlers received a kit containing:
Image: Lazy Boy Set by Art Impressions
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
CS: Conqueror Diamond White, 80#
Designer papers by Recollections: Light Blue Argyle, Green Argyle, Football, Black & White Plaid, Black Polka Dots, and black and brown Signature Series Shimmer CS
Washi Tape: various colors of chevron stripes by Recollections
Various assorted brads by Recollections

Here is my card:

Isn't this a funny image?  I also really get a kick out of the sentiment!

We also asked everyone to share a funny holiday story about a guy in their life.

Once when my oldest nephew was around 12 or 13, he challenged my husband to a contest of who could eat the most at Thanksgiving.  At the time, hubby was about 27.  Well, you guessed it.  They both packed in the food, my nephew should have waited just a couple of years and then proposed the challenge because he would have won then.  But, of course most 12-13 boys can't out-eat a man in his 20's.  This picture doesn't even come close to the scene after, LOL.  Both had to lie down for over an hour.  We all just laughed & laughed.

I encourage you to drop by the blogs of the Divas & Dazzlers (links are in my sidebar) and check out their challenges for November.  It's sure to be a treat - and not one that will pack on the pounds either!

Dueling Darlings October Duel

Hello!! I am terribly late with this post, but it should be no reflection on the challenge kit, only my disorganized life of late!

The theme was:

"Trick or Treats, smell my feet

OR

Give me something sweet to eat!"

Paola's kit contained so many fun and creative elements, it was hard to choose!  I just loved the ghoulies, aren't they a hoot?  And look at those cute little spiders coming to visit the witch kitty!  (never thought I would use cute to describe spiders!)

Here's a side view and if you look closely you can see the wonderful texture on the bat.  Paola die cut them from a thick Mulberry stock that almost feels like felt.

Contents in the kit were:

Stamps (all from SU): "Haunting Halloween" (cat, cauldron + 2sentiments)

                                    "Booglie Eyes" (mummy) & "Best Fiend" (sentiment)

D/P:     Wicked Fun (SU); Halloween Characters & Small Dots (both from Michaels)

                                      Black w/ silver thread (handmade DP from Costco)

Accessories: 'Boot To You' (CB folder); 'Black Bat's (Sizzix Die); 2 Halloween ribbons (Michaels);

                      1 XLrg orange brad by Elements/Am. Crafts ; sm. spiders from Recollections; 

                      pumpkins dimentionals stickers;

                      2 sets of Googlie eyes (Dollar store); 'Bootiful' brads from Sprinkles

We were also asked to share our view on Halloween - do we celebrate it, what is our favorite part, a favorite recipe, costume, etc.

Personally, I enjoy Halloween.  To me, it's all about kids.  No commercialization or pressure of planning the perfect holiday meal, gifts, cards, etc.  Just kids, having fun getting dressed up and showing off their costumes for a little treat.  

When our kids were young, we were always the gathering house after Trick or Treating.  I'd have a fire in the fireplace, some Halloween cartoons on & they'd come here, spread out their loot on the floor to compare and sort it.  Usually soaking wet clothing and shoes would be drying by the fire.  That's how it goes when you live where it can be cold and even snowy on Halloween.  Good times!

Thanks Sweet P for a fun and generous kit!  All of the leftovers have been saved for our final round.  Hugs to you!

A Hoot of a Mystery!

I'm lucky enough to be a member (a tardy one!) on Split Coast that does a "Mystery Swap" every other month.  One of us chooses an image, stamps off sets for the members and sends it to the current hostess.

When the current hostess swaps out returns from the current round, these "Mystery Images" are included in the returns.  All participants make cards with these Mystery Images and then send them back to her.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  It never ceases to amaze me how differently we all create when we begin with the same image!

Blah, blah, blah...ok...to the point:  April was our hostess for Round 18 of the Mystery Image Swap and she chose "A Hoot of a Day" by Unity.  Here's what I came up with:

Isn't that just the cutest owl every?  His little vest was paper pieced from scraps, and the 2 DP panels were from my scraps as well.

Here's a closer look at the little guy.  His hat has been spiffed up with red stickles and a gold Spica pen.  Then it was glued on top of the image.

I have a stash of small googly eyes that fit the image as if made for it!  He's colored with Spectrum Noir markers.

Another strip of some scrap paper was added to the inside, leaving enough room to write a personal message.

I hope that the others like what April's adorable image became in my hands!



April, thank you for such a cute and fun image for September's round!  And a BIG thank you for my little gift in my return!  April loves lighthouses, and made a little framed picture of a D. Morgan lighthouse image and sent it to me!  It's so pretty, her coloring is wonderful.  This weekend I'll take a picture of it and post it here for all of you to admire.

Thank you for stopping by, and for leaving me some comments.  They truly are a delight for me to read.

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!