Stamping Sisters' Challenge ...

Over on the Stamping Sisters In Christ blog, there is a color challenge ... Crimson, Orange, and Gold ... :)  How fun!





So .... here we go ....

You can't tell it from this picture, but the swirls/flourishes were sprayed with Sheer Shimmer and sparkle quite nicely.


Card Recipe :
stamps - May Your Love for God (Reason for the Season)
paper - worn parchment, tangelo snoothie, red velvet cake
ink - white, brown
accessories - cuttlebug, folders, elegant accents dies, ribbon, pop dots, sheer shimmer, gold dots, flourish dies, edge punch


What a fun challenge. :)  

More challenges this week .... and a picture of the costume I made my daughter for halloween.  I know you just can't wait for that one! :)


Have a great Sunday evening and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!

~*Shell*~

Clearly Inspired .... by my mom

The Clearly Inspired Challenge for today is PINK!! The card/project doesn't have to focus on breast cancer awareness, but for me .... how can it not?? Please indulge me for a moment ....

The year was 1995 .... My oldest son was 4 1/2, and I was pregnant with my 2nd son. Early in the month of October, my mother got a call from her doctor - a follow up from an earlier appointment. The diagnosis ... breast cancer. Our family was shocked. My precious mom ... mother of 2, legal guardian of her oldest granddaughter, grandmother to 4 1/2, active church member, and a wonderful, wonderful lady. This really couldn't be happening, could it?

It was happening. By the end of the month, she had gone through surgery for a radical mastectomy and had begun chemo using the drug Tamoxifen. Though she went through all of this in October, she was still an active participant and assistant in our annual alternative to Halloween at our church *on* Halloween.

Fast forward 16 years. My mom is the grandmother of 6, the great grandmother of 2, an active church member, and a wonderful, wonderful lady. Breast cancer didn't steal her life or her joy. Many aren't blessed in this way. The disease steals many lives, many memories, many mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, granddaughters, and friends. I'm praying that, soon, there will be a cure for this thief.

In honor of my wonderful, beautiful mom ......


card recipe:
stamps - roses to die for, christian friendship
paper - Pretty Porcelain, gray, white
ink - black
Copics - R81, R83, R85, W5, G94, G99
accessories - elegant accents dies, blooming bouquet dies, ribbon, lace, pearls, pop dots



Join in our challenge. Use pink ... lots of pink ... on your card or project. It doesn't have to have anything to do with breast cancer awareness. You can make something pink just to be pink. I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge!! Head on over to Clearly iStamp to get all of the details!!


FYI .... my mom's birthday is tomorrow ..... I'm wishing her happy birthday a little early....

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!!



Have a wonderful Friday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!!

~*Shell*~

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our winner for October!!


From Barb's blog, Barb's Best Creations, the winner is Kathi from Golden Paper Dreams.


Hope you have a beautiful weekend!!


~*Shell*~

Another challenge for today! :)

There's a color challenge going on over at Just Us Girls. Such a fun one, too!! I decided to try the challenge *without* using it for a halloween card.


The challenge was to use orange, black, purple, and green on a card. What fun!! I had a good time stretching myself by using the colors without making it for the halloween season.

Card Recipe :
stamps - Snow Friends, Christian Friendship
paper - tangelo smoothie, grape juice, sweet pea, black, white
ink -black
copics - C1, C3, C5, C7, B000, BV00, V01, YR07, V09
accessories - cuttlebug, folder, white gel pen, elegant accents dies, nesties, crystals, flower, flower with crystal


I'm home again today. I hope I can create a few more challenge cards! Wish me luck (although, I don't believe in luck.... Hahahaha).

Have a super nice Tuesday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!

~*Shell*~

Challenges, challenges. I do, so, love challenges. :) Today, I went in search of a challenge or two in which to participate. And, guess what!! I found some! :)


This card was made for 4 challenges -
Sweet Sketch Wednesday
Critter Sketch Challenge Blog
Stamping Sisters In Christ
Cute Card Thursday


For the Sweet Sketch challenge, we needed to use the sketch of the week. What a fun one!!!!

For the Critter Sketch Challenge Blog, we could only use pink, black, and green. Not used to using those colors, so this was quite a challenge for me.

The Stamping Sisters In Christ challenge was to use two of everything. On my project, there are two sets of crystals, two pink layers, two green layers, and two ribbon treatments.

Cute Card Thursday wanted us to use trees or leaves on our project. The poinsettia is actually a flower of leaves, and I thought this was a great stamp to use for this challenge.


Card Recipe :
stamps - Poinsettia Joy
paper - sweet cheeks, spring leaf, spruce needle, dp, white
ink - black, pink
copics - R81, R83, R85, G94, G99, W1, W5, W7
accessories - flourish dies, Cuttlebug, folder, crystals, ribbon, sewing machine


It was fun to chase challenges today I had the opportunity. I hope you take the time to create with some challenges, too.


Another post coming tomorrow with another challenge.


Have a beautiful Monday evening and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!


~*Shell*~

Clear Dollar Stamps October Blog Hop - Happy Fall, Ya'll!!

Welcome to the monthly Clear Dollar Stamps' Blog Hop!!! You should have come here from Lisa's amazing blog. If not, you'll want to start back at Clearly iStamp for the beginning of all of the fabulous projects being shown today.


What do you think of when you think about fall?? There are so many neat things that fall brings to my mind.... pretty leaves, crunchy leaves, bonfires, pumpkins, festivals, and so much more. I remember when I was a teenager - in the marching band (I was on the rifle squad) - at weekly football games. Each week, the weather would get a little cooler. At the end of October, the evenings at a football game would be quite chilly. I remember bundling up with a blanket or quilt in the stands as we waited to play the half-time show ..... and silently hoping that the team would lose so that we didn't have to go to playoff games that would be even colder!! That quilt and chilly weather were my inspiration for today's project.


Clear Dollar Stamps has an amazing set of dies and stamps that worked perfectly for my inspiration this time. Build a Quilt dies and Build a Quilt stamp set enabled me to create a quilted pattern right on my card without a ton of research or effort. It just brings back memories of chilly nights with a warm quilt keeping me warm!

Card Recipe :
stamps - build a quilt
paper - white, Yeehaw dp
ink - black
Copics - none
accessories - build a quilt dies, tag punch, ribbon, crystals, sewing machine, pop dots


Want to win a prize???? One lucky winner will win a $25 gift certificate for digital images from Clear Dollar Stamps!!! All you need to do is to leave a comment on my blog. That will enter your name into the pot. A winner will be randomly chosen from all comments on the design team members' blogs and posted on Thursday, October 20th.



If you missed the beginning of the hop, start back at Clearly iStamp and work your way through the fantastic projects the design team has for you today. From here, you should head on over to Cassie's stupendously creative blog. Just make sure you take every chance you can get to enter to win! Comment, comment, comment!!!


Best of luck to each of you!!


Have a blessed Sunday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!!



~*Shell*~

Clear Dollar Stamps' October Product Parade - Day 3

Day 3! Are you having fun yet?? I sure am. Such wonderful sets to showcase for you. Remember, each set is available right now on the Clear Dollar Stamps' site!

And today is something really special. We have not only a couple new sets, but, also, a new die set!! It's such a cool one, too.



That sentiment ... isn't that the truth? The little quilt squares on the side are die cut with the new die set - Build a Quilt, and then stamped with the stamp set with the same name. So precious. I'm not into quilting, but I have several good friends that are. This will be something special that I can use to celebrate each of them!

Card Recipe :
stamps - Build A Quilt
paper - white, gray, GCD Studios (Ella Blue)
ink - black
accessories - pearl sticker, pop dots, Build a Quilt Dies
technique - CAS


Ok ... I was suppose to show this one yesterday, but I wasn't able to change my post in time.  I'm sorry!!  

Yummmmm! I just LOVE the background paper here and what a wonderful focal verse! The paper is one of the digital papers released by CDS. I printed it on my own printer here at home. :)

Card Recipe :
stamps - Mark 16:15
paper - Billowing Clouds, Toasted Almond, Powder Puff, Thank You Jesus dp
ink - black, brown
accessories - elegant accents dies, cross dies, gold white dots, metal flowers, crystal cross, cuttlebug, folder, pop dots



There will be more releases on the Clearly iStamp blog tomorrow. I know you'll want to see those. Head on over to Clear Dollar Stamps, too, and grab some of this quarter's fantastic new sets!! I can't wait to see what you create!!


Have a beautiful Sunday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow.

~*Shell*~

Clear Dollar Stamps' October Product Parade - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the Clear Dollar Stamps October Product Parade! I hope you're making a point to visit each member of the design team's blog. There are some fabulous samples with these sets, and you don't want to miss any of them.



I love, love, love this set celebrating Christian Friendship. I often need something like this for a Christian friend. It's such a useful, versatile set.



This card opens a bit differently that some of my other cards. I have an open shot to show how I showcased this sentiment on the inside, as well as the outside.

Card Recipe :
stamps - christian friendship
paper - blueberry patch, kiwi delight, 7 gypsies dp, white, black
ink - black
copics - B32, B34, B39
accessories - cuttlebug, nesties, eyelet stickers, flowers, brads, pop dots, sewing machine, alcohol


What a beautiful verse this is. I know so many beautiful people who exemplify this verse. It will be perfect to use as a card of encouragement or a thank you card. On this card, the cross is distressed and stands out from the window pane. It's difficult to see, but looks much better in real life.

Card Recipe :
stamps - christ's love shines through you like a window from heave
paper - mud pie, lemon zest, white
ink - blue
copics - Y000, E31, E33, E37, 100
accessories - cricut, cuttlebug, elegant accents dies, pop dots, scorpal, sheer shimmer, xyron


Ooooooh!!! Don't you just want to grab this little bunny and snuggle him??? I could just squeeze him! He's part of a precious set called "Snow Friends." You'll want this for all of your fun, winter cards.

Card Recipe :
stamps - Snow Friends
paper - pink, white, gray
ink - black, fog
accessories - Tabs and Tags Dies, Cuttlebug, folders, corner rounder, ribbon, lace ribbon, pop dots, sewing machine



Window Box Wishes .... Oh my. This set is just too precious for words. It has three wonderful window boxes and the window, too. It also includes several sentiments. How cool!

This card was created as an easel card. Open, it looks like this ....

Card Recipe :
Stamps: Windowbox Wishes
Paper: berry Blast, Tangy Trio Plaid, white
Ink: black
Copics: 0, C3, C5, Y17, YR04, YR07, YG23, YG67, RV14, E31, E33, E37, E11
Accessories: Windowbox Wishes SVG, lace, corner rounder, Cuttlebug, folder, Tabs & Tags Dies, flowers, pop dots




Again, more wonderful samples tomorrow!!! Don't forget that you can get each and every one of these new releases TODAY at the Clear Dollar Stamps' site.

Have a super Saturday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!!

~*Shell*~

Clear Dollar Stamps' October Product Parade - Day 1

New product excites me!! What about you!? This is the first day of the Clear Dollar Stamps' Product Parade where we showcase all of the wonderful new releases for this quarter.

Today, we have some great stuff .... stuff to get you ready for ..... CHRISTMAS!! Just think, it's only 79 days away. :)


Christmas Inches .... Oh, my ..... HOW CUTE these are!!! Little Christmas squares for your card-making pleasure. There's so many amazing ideas of how to use these precious stamps. Make sure you check out all of the Design Team's samples. SO cute.

Card Recipe :
Stamps: Christmas Inchies
Paper: Pucker Up, green, black, white, dp
Ink: black
Copics: G17, Y17, g99, C1, R46
Accessories: Christmas Inches SVG, 1 1/4" square punch, ribbon, Cricut, pop dots, glitter pen, square bling



These beautiful Antique Ornaments were just so fun to color and use on my card. I colored them and covered them with mini glass beads.


Card Recipe :
stamps - Antique Ornaments
paper - white, dp (Me & My Big Ideas)
ink - black
Copics - 0, R59, C1, C3, C5, G85
Accessories - Microbeads, Cricut, SCAL, Tacky Tape Sheet, Glitter Pen, flower, gold dots, antique bead stickers, lace ribbon, pop dots
Technique - Microbeads


Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem .... how still we see thee lie ....
I just love the beauty of this set. I can just feel the quiet, still night a very long time ago.


Card Recipe :
stamps - Little Bethlehem
paper - Blueberry Patch, white
ink - black
Copics - 0, B32, B34, B39, Y000, Y11, Y26, Y28, E04, E08, W3, W7, E31, E33, E43, E71, E77
Accessories - Elegant Accents Dies, heart chime




Each year, I celebrate Christmas - the birth of my Lord and Savior. While it's not likely that the date December 25th was the actual of Jesus' birth, it's as good of a day/time to celebrate the precious event as any other. For me, though, the season of Christmas is defined by Christ. Therefore, Jesus is the reason for the season. :)

This beautiful stamp is wonderful to use to wish your friends and family well as they celebrate that very precious reason for the season of Christmas.


Card Recipe :
stamps - may your love for god bloom this year as you grow in his love and celebrate the reason for the season
paper - billowing clouds, white
ink - black
accessories - billowing clouds ribbon, pearls, felt snowflake, elegant accents dies, cuttlebug, folder, pop dots




Isn't this stamp just gorgeous?! With little embellishment, this image can take your Christmas cards or projects to the glamorous level in a flash. :)

Card Recipe :
Stamps: Poinsettia Joy
Paper: Spruce Needles, white, black
Ink: black
Copics: Y17, BG96, C3, C5, R59, G85
Accessories: white gel pen, Cuttlebug, folder, ribbon, sheer shimmer, pearl sticker, square bling, pop dots




Isn't that the truth?! Jesus IS the best gift of all. With Him in my life, I can know salvation and contentment. :) Yes .... the very best gift of all.

Card Recipe :
stamps - jesus is the best gift of all, for our lord, cross messages
paper - mud pie, lime juice, pretty porcelain, white, persnickety (the paper studio)
ink - brown, fog, black
copics - none
accessories - cricut, scal, pearls, tag punch, pearl sticker, ribbon (pretty porcelain), twine, cuttlebug, folder (Tim Holtz), pop dots


Whatcha think??? The neat thing is that tomorrow, we'll have some more fantastic sets for you to see - AND each and every new set can be found on the Clear Dollar Stamp site available for sale TODAY! Are you excited? I sure am!!


Looking forward to showing you more tomorrow. Have a fantastic Friday and a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!!!


~*Shell*~